Opening the Closet Door a Crack
by still too old for this
Summary: Requested to find a missing professor of anthropology, the Titans begin a descent into the darkness where dwell madness and evil. Mystery and horror await our intrepid heroes. As for survival, that remains to be seen.
1. Chapter 1

I do not own anything relating to the Teen Titans.

Opening the Closet Door a Crack – Chapter 1

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Mankind is a young creature. Even on earth, there are countless other creatures that predate him. Being young, he has the foolish fantasy that he is the master of the universe, the lord of his dominion, the pinnacle of existence.

As with the young everywhere, he will be disabused of this foolishness. There are entities outside human ken that would look on this foolishness and put him into his proper place. Beyond time and space dwell a myriad of beings and concepts that would shatter man's fragile psyche, both individually and collectively.

Oh yes, man has met many races beyond his own, kryptonians, martians, tamareans, thanagarians, among many others. And most of these races are older and, if not wiser, at least more aware of the dangers that the universe holds. Even those beings termed 'Gods', the lords of New Genesis, Apokolypse and OA, are aware of the…fragile…nature of existence, that beyond the walls of reality within the universe, there are older beings.

Being young, both as a race and individually, man has not yet built up the ability to...accept?...yes, that term will do for the moment…that there are forces beyond their abilities to handle, to understand, to tolerate, and still maintain some semblance of sanity.

Imagine if you will, a small child, asleep, in a dark bedroom. The child awakens in the middle of the night. There are sounds, creaking, quietly shifting place, while the child lies in bed. Looking around the previously familiar room, the child realizes that there are shadows, images that, if the child only allowed himself to see, would reveal the world as it is at that moment. But he keeps his eyes shut tight against the sounds of the night.

Mankind is that child, willfully keeping his eyes shut against the terror of the night.

Let's, if you will, open the child's eyes so that he may see the room. It is not a full moon, so there is little moonlight and, how unfortunate, the child's night light has been extinguished. There is nothing but the dark and the shadows, and the creaking sounds of the room around him.

The child looks around, desperately trying to restore some semblance of order, of understanding to the shadows of the room. His dresser is there, the chair with his clothes draped over them looks scary, but he convinces himself that the clothes are just what he was wearing earlier; it is not a monster waiting to grab him once he shuts his eyes. Over in the corner is the closet.

The closet.

The door is shut. Did he leave it open last night? He doesn't remember. All that could be in there are his clothes, some of his toys, some school papers. That's all he hopes is in there. Did he leave the door open or not? The closet is dark, darker than the room, darker than under the bed. He hears a creak. When he was just a little kid, he believed a monster lived in the closet. But he was just a little kid then. There are no creatures, creatures beyond human comprehension, in the closet.

Did he leave the door open last night?

Perhaps, perhaps, it wouldn't hurt to check, just make sure that the door is really shut. Of course, there are no beings from being time and space lying in wait, but we really should check to make sure the door is shut tight. Rising from the bed, the child slowly makes his way to the closet, it's shut.

Did he leave the door open last night?

Maybe he should check. What could it hurt? There are no entities unimaginable waiting for him, ready to take advantage of his momentary exposure. He listens carefully at the door. Is that a shifting inside, a creak? No, he's imagining it. Still, perhaps he should check. Perhaps,

And yet.

It wouldn't hurt to open the closet door just the smallest crack, would it?

….

….

You first.

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Excursions into the darkness should begin in the earlier hours of the morning, in the depths of decrepit, ichor draped mansions as foolish explorers tempt the fates, wondering if they hadn't pushed those three hags one time too many.

This excursion began on a bright sunny day, however, in a tower of shining steel and glass. As to whether these same residents have pushed the three hags one time too many, that has yet to be determined. The events that will play out over the coming weeks will reveal whether this is the case. Until then, we must let the strands of life play out as the hags decide.

Said tower was the home to five young adventurers, heroes to many, adversaries to some. Together, they had faced many challenges, ordinary villainy, monumental, world threatening evil. Yet, this coming challenge would test each in a different way. Whether they would survive, whole, unfazed, sane, would be the test.

And, as with many life changing events, it began with the simplest of actions. There was a knock at the door. Or rather, the doorbell rang, as this was not the aforementioned decrepit mansion, but a modern tower. An orange girl, warrior from the far distant stars, flew to the door. Thus, actions are set in motion. Let us see where they lead.

Opening the door, Starfire looked out to see who had rung the doorbell. Before her stood a middle aged man of average height. A bit of a haughty, aristocratic look was on his face, although he showed the beginning pattern of baldness. His eyes were a dark, dark brown. There was an intelligence there, unfortunately, there was little joy in those eyes, simply an awareness of things that needed to be done. He was carrying a rather large, battered, leather briefcase that he clutched tightly.

"May I help you?" asked the princess from the stars. It wasn't often that the Titans received visitors, at least ordinary visitors. Villains and pizza delivery boys didn't count.

"Good morning," the gentleman replied in a rather dead sounding voice. "My name is Dr. Howard Phillips, I'm the president of Jump City University. If it would be possible, might I speak with you and the other Titans?"

"You are speaking to me now," answered Starfire in a rather puzzled voice. Why did this man need to ask to speak to her if he was already speaking to her? Sometimes, human habits were strange beyond belief.

"Miss, might I speak with you collectively at the same time? I have a matter of some urgency that I was hoping the Titans could assist me with. Might I come in?"

"Certainly, if there is something we can do to help you, I am certain that we will do whatever we can."

"That is my most fervent hope." With that, Starfire led Dr. Phillips into the tower and they made their way to the common room. At the moment, only Beast Boy and Raven were there, he watching a rather mindless cartoon, she reading a thick book and periodically telling him to turn the volume down so she could concentrate. It was part of the game. Certainly, if she REALLY wanted to concentrate, she would go to her room. But both were enjoying each other's company, even if they refused to admit it, so they bickered back and forth.

"Friends, we have a visitor that would like to speak with us all. Where are Robin and Cyborg?"

In her familiar monotone, Raven replied, "I'm sure Robin is either in his workroom or the gym, and Cyborg"

"Dude's in the garage working on his 'baby'," interrupted Beast Boy. "I'll call him. If he spends any more time on that thing, they'll be off on their honeymoon together." Opening up his communicator, Beast Boy called, "Hey, Tin Man, come on up to the common room, we have a visitor."

Meanwhile, after shooting the shapeshifter a dirty look for interrupting her, Raven had called Robin to request his presence as well. She then asked the gentleman, "Can we get you anything, tea, coffee, a soda?"

"If I might have a cup of tea, that would be appreciated. The story and request I have is quite complex and it might take a while to discuss."

Her interest peaked, Raven went over to the kitchen to prepare two cups of tea, two cups of coffee (one each for Cyborg and Robin) and a cup of mustard (guess who). Beast Boy could fend for himself, besides, he wasn't allowed caffeine. The hyperactive hero was always in a caffeinated state as far as she was concerned. Raven brought the tray of refreshments over to the common room and put it on the table in front of where Dr. Phillips was sitting. She handed him a cup of tea and took one herself. As she neared the doctor, she felt the smallest trace of something out of place. It wasn't an emotion precisely, just an uneasiness surrounding the area. It didn't even seem to come from him. It reminded her of something, but she couldn't place it.

Robin and Cyborg entered the room and came over to the couch. Dr. Phillips rose. "Ah, excellent, now that everyone is present, my name is Dr. Howard Phillips and I'm the president of Jump City University and I'm here on a matter of some importance."

"Certainly, won't you please sit down?" Robin responded with some respect. Everyone sat down again. "What can we do for you?"

"Well, Robin," began Dr. Phillips, "I'm concerned with the disappearance of the head of our head of anthropology department, Randolph Carter."

"So, we're looking for a guy who's digging up a bunch of old bones?" interjected Beast Boy.

Slapping him alongside the head, Raven said, "That's archeology. Anthropology is the study of human cultural and societal roots."

Chuckling, Dr. Phillips responded, "Actually, as far as Dr. Carter is concerned, Beast Boy isn't too far off. You could always find him in various graveyards and ancient sites. His specialty is religious and cultural legends. He has a number of theories regarding pre-historic religious and cult influences on modern societal behavior. But I digress. Dr. Carter, as is his wont, went off this summer on one of his searches. For several weeks, he would phone into me to keep me apprised of his activities."

While Dr. Phillips was speaking, Beast Boy got up. This was not unusual, sitting still (unless in front of his gamestation) was difficult for him. This seemed different however. Instead of the aimless wandering that generally characterized his roaming, Beast Boy paced back and forth behind the couch. Walking from one end to the other and back. Looking at him, you were reminded of tigers in a cage, stalking back and forth.

"Roughly two weeks ago, all communication with Dr. Carter ceased. Now, it isn't unusual that we wouldn't hear from him for a week or so, but two weeks is a little long. And there is a second factor.."

Robin interrupted him at this point, "Excuse me professor. BEAST BOY, SIT DOWN!"

Beast Boy suddenly came to himself and looked at Robin, then wordlessly moved back in front of the couch and sat down.

"Sorry, professor, would you continue" Robin said.

"Yes, well, the second factor is that the academic season is ready to start in five days. Dr. Carter has not returned to prepare for the season and his duties. No matter where he is, he always is back one week prior to classes and begins to prepare. He's highly responsible."

Beast Boy got up and resumed his pacing. This time, however, every so often, in the middle of his pacing, he would stop and stand perfectly still, as if listening for something, reminiscent of a deer or rabbit that is listening for a predator.

"The fact that we lost contact with him, he's overdue for the season, and that he's left his original destination and has traveled somewhere else."

"Excuse me, sir," interrupted Cyborg. "How do you know he's moved somewhere else?"

"Well, several weeks ago, during one of his phone calls to me, he mentioned that he was on the trail of an ancient cult of water god worshippers. He was extremely excited, even for him. At the time, he didn't know exactly how the evidence would turn out, but it sounded promising. I'm assuming that something caused him to actively pursue this lead as when I called his hotel, I was told he checked out several weeks ago, shortly after he spoke to me. That was our last communication, by the way."

"I assume he left no message or forwarding address….BEAST BOY SIT DOWN!" shouted Robin.

Beast Boy sat down, fidgeting, again. Raven leaned over to him and whispered, "What is with you? Even for you, you're hyper."

The shapeshifter looked around and whispered back hesitatingly, "I don't know, something's weird. All my animal senses are going nuts. I keep getting the feeling that there's danger here, something…." And his voice trailed off.

Raven looked at him thoughtfully. Remembering the odd feeling she had earlier, she began to take greater notice of her surroundings. Beast Boy was irritating, juvenile and foolish. But he had been a hero longer than any of them, with the possible exception of Robin. If he sensed something, it was worth paying attention. She would never tell him that, though. Sending out her senses, she got that curious feeling of familiarity, just a hint of unease, of something upsetting the ley lines of the earth. She still couldn't pin it down. Returning to the conversation, she picked up the thread again.

"Dr. Carter left a number of notes and papers, most of which I can't understand, not being an expert in his field. Actually, there are very few experts in his field, he IS the expert."

Beast Boy got up again and resumed his pacing. You could almost see Robin's blood pressure rise at this. "BEAST BOY"

Raven interrupted him, "Leave him be. Something's setting off his animal senses. We'll get to the bottom of that after we finish here." Startled that Raven was defending him, Robin stopped in mid rebuke. He nodded to Raven, he also realized that if BB's senses were going off, there was little the teen could do until they figured out what the issue was.

Dr. Phillips looked puzzled at the team. "I'm sorry, is there a problem?"

"No," answered Robin wearily, "Because of Beast Boy's, ah, unusual situation, sometimes things happen that take a while to explain. I apologize for the interruption."

Shrugging, Dr. Phillips continued, "Very well. To resume, Dr. Carter left a number of notes and papers, many of which I've brought with me if you agree to help as well as one of the last works he was examining, a very rare book that the university recently acquired, one of our great treasures."

Robin looked around at the other titans, things had been quiet recently and if it seemed they would be gone for more than a day or so, they could always call for backup, just like they did with the Brotherhood of Evil. Cyborg, Raven and Starfire all nodded their affirmation. Beast Boy, distracted, continued his pacing.

"Certainly, we'll be glad to help you locate Dr. Carter. In that case, may we begin examining his notes so that we can get started?" Robin replied.

Dr. Phillips gave a small, relieved smile, "Thank you. Although Dr. Carter is a very valued colleague, he's also a friend. His disappearance has been quite disturbing. As I said, I have a number of papers and notes that he left behind. In addition, I've received permission from the board of regents to remove this book from our library. Please take care of it, there are only six known copies in the world. It is in extremely poor condition, unlike some of the others. However, we are the only university on the west coast to have this book." Dr. Phillips smiled proudly and began to remove the papers and an encased book, sealed in multiple plastic wrappings.

"I personally know very little about it, however, Princeton University has a copy, a small university in New England has a copy, there is one in the British Museum, one in the Biblioteque Nationale in Paris and the final copy is in the University of Buenos Aires. It's rumored that the Vatican has one as well, but, that's never been confirmed. So, for Jump City U to have a copy puts us on the historical map. The mere fact that this unknown sixth copy even became known to the world is a matter of historical luck. Apparently, it was hidden in a private collection for many years."

All the while, Dr. Phillips had been carefully and slowly unwrapping the tome. It had been sealed in layers of plastic casings and bags to preserve it as well as possible. The book looked extremely old and battered, the cover half burned away. Finally, the last covering was revealed. As Dr. Phillips opened the final cover, two things happened.

With the opening of the cover, Raven gave a small gasp and a look of terror came upon her face. She got up from her seat and RAN from the room. This was hardly noticed.

What was noticed was upon the opening of the final seal, Beast Boy gave a loud snarl and, without changing, leaped for the professor, hands extended, teeth bared, a wild, feral look in his eyes.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxx

And so begins our decent into the dark. For those of you who know, the clues are there. For those who don't, the decent will be long and deep. Whether any will survive, only the three hags (and your dutiful storyteller) know for sure.

Until next time my friends.


	2. Chapter 2

I do not own anything relating to the Teen Titans.

Opening the Closet Door a Crack – Chapter 2

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While the sight of Beast Boy, in a wild feral state was shocking, the titans used their abilities instinctively, born of years of action and more years of training. Starfire grabbed the green teen, who continued to snarl and spit, his hands reaching for the doctor. Robin, putting the facts together quickly, shouted out.

"Doctor, put that book away. Something about it has set him off. Raven, put a containment bubble around them in case he changes."

Cyborg responded, "Raven's not here. She ran out of the room."

"Cyborg, get in front of Dr. Phillips in case he gets away from Starfire. Doctor, PUT THAT BOOK AWAY!"

Obviously confused, Dr. Phillips fumbled with the book and its casings for a moment or so, then began to seal the book back up. As the book was resealed, although Beast Boy didn't stop his mad attack on the professor, the fury seemed to lessen slightly.

"Robin, please help. I will not be able to control him if he changes. I can barely contain him with all his movements now." Starfire said. It was true. Even though Beast Boy was not changing shape, his wiry, lithe body was twisting and straining against Starfire to get away from her and attack.

Running over to the pair, Robin looked into Beast Boy's face. Surprisingly, there was no madness there. But, there was a blind fury, an all consuming hatred on his face. There also was little intelligence in his eyes, more like an animal's gaze. Grabbing hold of his head between his hands, Robin shouted out, "Beast Boy, focus on me. Get yourself under control. Come back." He continued to look into his eyes.

The wild, feral look continued. Even though his head was focused on Robin, Beast Boy continued to struggle, tearing his head away from Robin and aiming for the professor. Robin thought rapidly. "Cyborg, can you give BB a sedative, something to knock him out for a few moments while I get Raven?" He realized that only Raven would be able to contain the shapeshifter if he suddenly decided to change. None of the other three would be able to keep up with him, depending on the forms he took.

"Dunno," Cyborg replied. "I've got something hooked up, but with his wacko biology…"

"DO IT! We can't take the chance." Cyborg quickly moved to his friend's side.

"Star, turn your head and hold your breath." From his left hand, Cyborg shot a small amount of gas out of his ring finger into Beast Boy's face. Surprisingly, the effect was much quicker than anticipated. While he didn't exactly pass out, Beast Boy's eyes crossed and he slumped in Starfire's arms. The feral look left his face and he no longer reached out.

Muttering in a stupor, Beast Boy said over and over, "The Great Enemy, The Great Enemy." Starfire slowly relaxed her grip on him and led him over to the far side of the couch. There, she laid him down and watched him carefully. Beast Boy continued to mutter the same phrase over and over. "The Great Enemy, The Great Enemy."

"Now," said Robin turning to Cyborg. "What did you say about Raven? Where did she go?"

"Rob, I've no idea where she went. When BB went nuts, I saw her run out of the room like the devil himself was chasing her. Rob, she wasn't floating like she normally does, she was running."

"What is WITH everyone today? Have they all gone crazy?" Robin said to himself. "Dr. Phillips, I'm very sorry about all of this. Believe it or not, this is NOT a normal occurrence. Would you please excuse me for a few moments while I see if Raven is alright?"

"Of course, Robin, certainly. I apologize, I should have anticipated this and given warning." Dr. Phillips responded. Robin looked at him curiously, that was an odd response to an attempted attack by one Titan and the fleeing of another. As much as the Boy Wonder wanted to question the professor regarding his statement, his first concern was for his teammate. "Star, Cy, watch Beast Boy. If he comes to his senses, call me. If he goes after Dr. Phillips again, stop him."

"No fooling," muttered Cyborg.

With that, Robin raced out of the room. Anticipating the most logical place for Raven to run to, he made his way to her room. Punching in the override code, Robin stepped in.

As usual, Raven's room was in shadow. The blinds were drawn and all manner of eldritch materials were scattered around the room. The walls contained the normal masks and mystical artifacts. Her bookcases were stuffed with various books, one of which was, he knew, magically sealed against tampering as that contained her various spellbooks. In the corner of the room was a large chest, which he knew contained the tome that bound the dragon Malichor. There was a padlock on that item. Over on the dressing table were a variety of typical items that one would find on a teenage girl's bureau, with the exception of a rather large, ornate hand mirror. Along one wall was the large round bed that Raven favored as her resting place. A faint smell of incense permeated the room.

There was no sign of Raven.

Robin stood still for a moment, thinking of alternative places that she could be. As he turned to leave the room, he heard a faint banging coming from the closet. Thrown slightly off balance by the sound, he stopped and listened. The sound continued. Making his way to her closet, he carefully opened the door. Hanging up were a number of cloaks, leotards and a few casual closes, most of which he had never seen as Raven seldom wore them.

Huddled on the floor, arms around her knees, rocking slowly back and forth, was Raven.

The sight of one of his teammates in such a condition unnerved the boy wonder more than he cared to admit. Looking at the girl who was probably the strongest among them cowering on the floor was a frightening proposition. Thinking back, it reminded him of the young version of Raven that he had to rescue during the period when her father took over the world using her as a portal. Kneeling down, he said softly, "Raven"

Gasping, Raven looked up at Robin, wide-eyed, her eyes full of terror. "Robin….Robin….please."

Bafflement across his face, Robin responded uncertainly, "Raven, what's wrong?"

"Wrong? Everything! That book, that horrible book." Raven bowed her head again and shuddered, her entire body shaking. Without lifting her head, her muffled voice coming out, "Destroy it. Burn it. Anything. Just, just…" and she started to shudder again.

If he was concerned before, Robin was beginning to feel scared. Raven wanting a book destroyed. He would sooner believe that Cyborg would give up meat or Beast Boy begin eating it. And the fear in her voice, the absolute terror. Whatever was affecting her was driving down to the core of her being, shaking her to her foundation.

"Raven, Dr. Phillips has encased the book again. It shouldn't be affecting you any longer."

"You don't understand," her muffled voice floated out from her compressed body. "I've felt it now, I can always feel it. I only had a hint before. Once exposed fully, I always know it. The horror, the evil…."

"Raven," Robin replied gently, "we've faced evil before. Slade, the Brotherhood…..your father."

"MY FATHER?" Raven's head came up suddenly. She started laughing hysterically. "MY FATHER? He's nothing, NOTHING! Compared to that book. I'll gladly see him again. I'll send him a father's day card. I'll buy him a tie for Christmas. Maybe he'll visit. We can all have eggnog and sing carols."

The flippancy with which Raven referred to their greatest foe shocked Robin to the core. He reached for Raven's shoulders and shook her gently. "Raven, RAVE N! You have to get control of yourself." Thinking quickly, he pondered, what would get Raven under control? "You have to get under control, Beast Boy has lost his mind and we need your help."

The fact that Beast Boy was in trouble was like a bucket of water to Raven. "Beast Boy? What happened?"

"He tried to attack Dr. Phillips. He began snarling and lunged after him. We had to gas him, but you're the only one who can contain him if he changes into an animal."

"Wait a minute," Raven began to regain her composure. Breathing heavily, she said, "he attacked but didn't change? What did he look like?"

"What do you mean, what did he look like? He looked like him."

"Idiot, I mean what did his face look like." Raven was rapidly regaining control over herself, her normal sarcastic demeanor coming to the fore.

Thinking back, Robin slowly replied, "He, he had hatred in his face. And his eyes held no human awareness. It was almost as if his animal side had control."

"It did have control. Beast Boy was telling me his animal instincts were going wild. That's why he was pacing and stopping. The predatory animals were patrolling, waiting for the attack, the milder animals were stopping, listening for the approach of a predator. His whole being was preparing for this."

"How do you know?" Robin was again stunned by this revelation.

"And you're the detective. Well, I'll admit, I only put this together just now because he told me about his instincts. Also, because I KNOW the effect of that book on me. If it affects animals, who by the way are MUCH more aware of things than we give them credit for, as it did me, no wonder Beast Boy flipped. We've got to get to him, NOW!"

With a wave of her hand, Raven encased herself and Robin in a globe of black energy and transported them to the common room.

Upon their arrival in the common room, Raven saw the professor sitting quietly on the couch, apparently unharmed. Cyborg was standing in front of him, facing the other end of the couch. At the far end, lying down, was Beast Boy, Starfire hovering over him in the event that he attacked again.

"Status report Cyborg," barked Robin.

"No change Robin, he's still groggy. He's not completely out, but he's also not really awake. Almost in a trancelike state."

"What did you give him, anyway?"

Cyborg began to rattle off a detailed scientific explanation of the drug he used. How he synthesized it and why he believed it would be the best anesthetic for Beast Boy, given his unusual DNA. Robin cut him off quickly.

"So why is he not unconscious, only groggy?"

Cyborg looked uncomfortable. Looking around, not facing Robin, he replied quietly, "I was wrong."

"Excuse me?"

"I thought it would put him out. Damn his wacko DNA, I can never get it straight. It only put him into a dreamlike trance. Sorta like a hypnotic state."

Raven pounced on the half machine, half human, "You mean he can answer truthfully what he's asked?"

Cyborg pondered a moment, "Hmmm, yeah, I guess it would act like a truth serum." A mischievous smile ran across his face.

"WHOA!" shouted Robin. "Let's stay on track here guys. We have a major problem right now and there is NO WAY I'll allow you to take advantage of BB in his current state." Under his breath muttering, "much as I might wish to."

Both Raven and Cyborg managed to look both remorseful and regretful. Robin continued, "Raven, given what you told me, is Beast Boy all right?"

The teenaged sorceress moved over to her green compatriot. She sat down on the couch next to his prone body. Extending her empathic senses, she tried to read Beast Boy. "Well, he seems to be regaining control over his animal instincts. I think that it was mostly the unknown that set him off. Sort of like me. It was the surprise that triggered everything. Once back under control, I THINK he'll be able to handle the instinctive attack mode."Shifting to a softer voice, Raven continued, "He's much stronger than you think. Reading his emotions, what he's gone through, I'm continually surprised at his abilities, at the depth of his strength, at the rock that is the center of his soul." Softer still, "None of you could go through what I put him through. You couldn't handle it. But he can." A small smile coming to her face, Raven gently brushed a lock of his hair away from his eyes.

Cyborg, Robin and Starfire looked wild-eyed at Raven. Exchanging glances at one another, each was unsure how to proceed at this point. Finally, both Cyborg and Starfire, fear in their eyes, looked at Robin and motioned him to do something. Mentally cursing the day he became the leader of the titans, Robin quietly coughed.

Coming to herself, Raven got up suddenly from the couch and resumed her normal monotone. "Yes, ummm, he should be all right. Still, one of us should keep an eye on him. Cyborg, how long will this gas last?"

"Bird Boy, I thought this gas would put him out. Heck, I thought he'd be out for a couple of hours. Given what we know now, he'll probably be fully awake in about an hour or two."

"In that case," Robin turned to Dr. Phillips. "I believe it's time for you to explain that last statement you made to me. You said you should have anticipated this. If you expected this, why do you expect us to help you? Especially if you are keeping secrets from us?"

Dr. Phillips sighed. He had been watching with keen interest the tableau before him. Most ordinary people had little interaction with the Titans. Watching the group dynamics was fascinating, to say the least. Still, he did owe them an explanation.

"Robin, in truth, I did not expect anything to happen. But I should have. This book has a curious history. Of the six copies I mentioned, all, save this one, are under lock and key. Only under extremely rigorous conditions is anyone permitted to examine it. Legend has it that many who read it go mad. Only the most iron-willed of men are generally permitted to examine it, and then only select sections. The original book was written by an Arab back, oh, around 700 A.D. This is the latin translation as the original Arabic versions have disappeared." Chuckling to himself, Dr. Phillips continued, "There's even an absurd legend that the writer died in the city square of Damascus being torn asunder by invisible demons. Truthfully, I did not give much credence to these stories. These types of books are always surrounded by the most ridiculous stories." Musing to himself, Dr. Phillips said, "Still, Carter did not discount these stories and was entranced by them."

"What IS this book?" asked Robin.

"Oh," responded Dr. Phillips coming to himself, "it's a collection of stories, tales of ancient gods and demons. Their histories and legends, how to bring them back, that sort of thing." It was obvious that Dr. Phillips did not particularly believe any of this.

"You mean it's a book of magic?" asked Robin.

"NO!" answerer Raven. "It's not what you would consider a book of magic. There is no 'magic' as you would describe it. Magic works within the boundaries of existence. Spellbooks have their own force, their own 'fit' within the boundaries of reality. This book" Raven spat out the last word, "warps the very forces of reality. Whatever is in it is outside the boundaries of our universe, of our reality."

Dr. Phillips looked skeptical. "Be that as it may, it is a collection of stories and tales. Dr. Carter placed great faith in them as keystones to understanding the foundations of our current religions and understanding of good and evil. The cultural impact of primordial gods in shaping current society."

"Doctor," questioned Robin, "what are these stories about?"

"Oh, I'm not really that knowledgeable about it. My field is mathematics. All that I've relayed to you is from my discussions with Carter. As I said, he's the expert. Some of the gods that were discussed had incredibly difficult names to pronounce." Laughing to himself, Dr. Phillips continued, "It would probably help if I had ANY ability to speak a language other than English." Reflecting for a moment, Dr. Phillips finally said, "I believe Carter mentioned one particular god, Dagon or, uhhh, I believe the word was Kuthlu."

"Cthulhu?" asked Starfire, eyes wide.

"Yes," Dr. Phillips said with a smile, "I believe Carter pronounced it like that."

Starfire let out a gasp of fright and ran for the communications board, stammering in Tameranean all the while.

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While I realize that my story has only been out there a day or so, it's a good thing I do this for my own pleasure. Only 15 hits? I thought horror would be more in vogue. Still, I will continue regardless. Now, as is my custom, on to my extremely considerate reviewers.

**The Force is Strong With This One** – Hmmm, Dark Side (one of my favorite anthology shows), hadn't considered that. Given the ending of this chapter, I'm not (I hope) giving anything away. The inspiration came from the Provincetown Spook, Mr. H.P. Lovecraft. Given his purple prose, I tried to mimic it as best I could. Hope you enjoy it as much as I'm enjoying Jokers Shadow.

**Playing the Bone** – Truthfully, I'm sure you have it pegged. The clues were, to my mind, obvious. Howard Phillips is HP's first and middle names. Randolph Carter is one of his recurring characters (more about him later). The water god is, of course, our old friend. I've also mentioned the history of a certain book, including obliquely, a certain small college in New England that our heroes will be visiting.

**Novus Ordo Seclorum** – Glad you like. Twilight Zone. OK, the purple prose Rod used was certainly inspired by Lovecraft. By the by, this should explain, partially, BB's insanity. For further reference, I would suggest either At the Mountains of Madness or Whisperer in the Dark. Lovecraft showed carefully how nature reacted to these…ah… outside intruders.

Until next time my friends.


	3. Chapter 3

I do not own anything relating to the Teen Titans.

Opening the Closet Door a Crack – Chapter 3

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"Has EVERYONE here gone mad?" shouted Robin. "Starfire, WHAT'S WRONG?"

Reaching the communications console, Starfire, still speaking in Tamaranean, began to furiously punch various buttons.

"At least speak ENGLISH!" Robin shouted as he ran over to her.

"I need to contact the Grand Council, then the Gordanians, the Thanagarians, the Rannians, the Citadel. Probably should contact the Spider Guild. Definitely the Guardians. We'll get two or three lanterns on permanent detail watching the region. I'll let the Gordanians contact the Psions. OH, I definitely need to speak with New Genesis, probably with Apokolypse as well. They have to be notified. We'll set up evacuation procedures for the planet. Let's see, where's the nearest habitable planet? Never mind. I'll let the council come up with something. Hmmm, I expect a five light year buffer will suffice, that's what we have for Aldebaran. Robin, is there any central government body on Earth we can work with to set up the evacuation? Or should I just work through the Justice League?"

Robin stared at her, absolute horror on his face.

"What on earth are you TALKING about?"

Starfire stopped her actions and turned to face Robin. A look of incredulous disbelief was on her face. "Did you not hear him? Are humans really so without a clue? This is CTHULHU!"

"Who's Cthulhu?"

Starfire looked straight at the puzzled expression on Robin's face. Then she looked around the room at the others gathered, Cyborg, Raven and Dr. Phillips. All had the same perplexed expression on their faces. "Do none of you know about Great Cthulhu?" she asked.

Muttering again in his stupor, Beast Boy said, "The Great Enemy."

"SEE, Beast Boy knows about Great Cthulhu! How can NONE of you know of him?"

"Starfire," said Raven, "Beast Boy is being controlled by his animal instincts right now. I'm sure that he doesn't really understand what he is saying."

A look of shock passed across Starfire's face. This was no longer the culturally naïve teenage girl, but the warrior princess from a planet of warriors. "Are humans THAT ignorant of intergalactic issues? Do you really have NO CONCEPT of the dangers involved?" Starfire began to speak in Tamaranean again. Given the tone she was using, it sounded extremely uncomplimentary regarding earthlings, and probably somewhat obscene.

"Star, please," pleaded Robin, "calm down and explain to us what is going on."

"X'Hal! It's like dealing with children! How can you NOT know? Great Cthulhu is the high priest of the Outer Gods. For eons, we in the civilized galaxy have been searching for him and his sunken city of R'yleh."

Dr. Phillips interrupted at this point, "R'yleh, wait a moment. That name appears in Carter's notes." The professor shifted a number of papers around. Finally, he pulled one out and began speaking. "I don't understand the language. Apparently, NO ONE understands the language. According to his notes, Carter's tried a number of local linguists to decipher the phrases." Reading as best he could, Dr. Phillips said, "F'nugly maglwy.."

"FOOL," interrupted Starfire, obviously in a highly agitated state. "The phrase is the ancient galactic tongue. The warning is:

"Ph'nglui mglw'nafh Cthulhu R'yleh wgah'nagl fhtagn."

"Translated to English, it means," Starfire paused for a moment, considering, then began to speak,

"In his house at R'yleh dead Cthulhu waits dreaming"

Cyborg spoke up, "Star, that makes no sense. If he's dead, how can he be dreaming? Dead is dead."

Dr. Phillips spoke up again. "You know, it's odd, Carter wrote something about that as well. Let me look here again." And once again he shuffled through the papers and notes that Randolph Carter had left. "Ah, here it is.

"That is not dead which can eternal lie,

And with strange aeons even death may die."

Starfire inhaled suddenly and looked frightened. "That is not part of our lore. It may suggest that Great Cthulhu may be ready to rise again."

From over on the couch, Beast Boy muttered, "The Great Enemy."

"But this is all nonsense," replied Dr. Phillips. "These are only stories. Ancient myths that prehistoric races used before they became aware of scientific methods for explaining natural phenomenon."

"MYTHS? NONSENSE?" shouted Starfire. "For eons civilized space has placed a five light year buffer around Aldebaran, waiting for the day that Nyarlathotep, the Crawling Chaos, attempts to leave his great city of Kadath and contact his masters, the Outer Gods." The princess was practically speechless with incredulity. "It is the 8th oath of the Tamaranean warrior to attack anything attempting to leave Aldebaran."

"That doesn't sound too serious," said Cyborg.

"There are 497 oaths that a Tamaranean warrior takes."

"OK, that's serious." Mumbled Cyborg.

"The oath requires that no matter what we are doing, wherever we are, even if we are already in battle, we are to break off battle and attack whatever has left Aldebaran. The Gordanians, Thanagarians, Rannians, Psions, the Citadel, the Spider Guild, all of us, even if we are at battle with each other, have sworn to break off and join forces to attack whatever has left legendary Kadath."

Robin considered this for a moment, these were all sworn enemies of one another. This Nyarlathotep sounded serious, to say the least. "Wait a minute, why did you say 'whatever has left Aldebaran?'"

"Because the crawling chaos can change his shape. No one knows his real image. Therefore, rather than take a chance, we will attempt to return anything leaving Kadath back to the planet."

"You won't kill it?" inquired Raven.

Starfire began to laugh, there was an hysterical edge to it, "Kill Nyarlathotep? We'll be lucky if the combined forces of the galaxy can actually return him to Kadath. The Guardians have two lanterns permanently on duty in orbit around the system as an early warning. The gods of New Genesis will join us at our call. Even Darkseid has said he would join us in beating back whatever leaves the system."

The fact that the greatest evil known to the galaxy was united in the war against this Nyarlathotep was chilling to the other Titans. Then Robin had a thought, "Hold on, Darkseid has designs on controlling the universe. Why wouldn't he use this Nyarlathotep as a weapon?"

Starfire looked at the Titan leader as if he were an imbecile. "Because Nyarlathotep is one of the two high priests of the Outer Gods. Darkseid wants order, HIS order. The Outer Gods are beings of complete chaos, seeking only death and destruction. They are mindless masses of power."

"Star," continued Robin, "that still doesn't make sense."

The warrior princess thought for a moment. "You have told me about some of the enemies that you have fought over the years. One of which is called, 'The Clown'?"

"The Joker."

"Yes, I remember. You have told me of a number of acts and crimes that he has done, the randomness and insanity that characterizes him." Robin nodded. "Imagine the Joker without a mind, but still with the evil insanity." Robin nodded again. "Now make him a God." Robin paled. "Now imagine dozens of Joker-Gods." Robin sat down hard on the couch.

"That is the closest I can describe the Outer Gods to you. And Nyarlathotep is one of their high priests. Great Cthulhu is the other. And he is mightier by far."

Lying on the couch, Beast Boy muttered, "The Great Enemy."

"For eons, we have searched for signs of Great Cthulhu. Always, we have left warnings of him. That phrase, that is the warning amongst all civilized beings. Always remember, Great Cthulhu waits. And once he awakens, he will call his dread masters back to this universe that they once ruled so they can rule again."

"Excuse me, Starfire," interrupted Raven. "What do you mean, call them BACK to this universe?"

"The Old Ones banished the Outer Gods to the realms outside of time and space. While the Old Ones have vanished, their protection remains. Before they left our reality, the Outer Gods left two of their high priests behind to prepare for their return someday. For eons, we have known of Kadath, great city of Nyarlathotep, the crawling chaos. But always, sunken R'yleh has been lost, along with the mightiest of the high priests, Great Cthulhu."

"Now that we know R'yleh is here on earth, we must evacuate the planet, set up a containment buffer and wait however long it takes until Great Cthulhu rises again."

The three other titans looked at one another. "Star," began Robin. "None of us have ever heard of this sunken city of R'yleh. There's no proof that Cthulhu is even here."

"ARE YOU MAD? Did you not hear Dr. Phillips?"

At that moment, Beast Boy groaned. Rising from the couch, he held his head in his left hand. "OHHH, my head. That was painful." The green teen remained in a sitting position as he tried to regain some balance. Raven went over to him.

"Beast Boy, are you all right?"

"I don't know. Never had all my animal instincts take over like that. They overwhelmed me completely. Cy, what did you hit me with? I feel terrible."

"Just a little gas to put you out, grass stain. You were about to rip Dr. Phillips to shreds."

"Huh, oh yeah." Beast Boy looked up at the academic. Sheepishly, he said, "Ummm, sorry about that. Once you completely uncovered that book, the scent, the vibes set off my animal DNA. I wasn't actually trying to attack you. I was going after that book."

"Will you be able to control yourself?" asked Robin. "Otherwise, I'll have to put you in isolation while we have these papers."

"Hmm, oh yeah. I think I'll be able to control it now. I know what I'm reacting to." BB still seemed a little distracted. He continued to hold his head. "Does anyone have an aspirin?"

Cyborg popped open a compartment on his right arm and extracted a couple of pills. "Here, it's a little stronger than aspirin. It should also help you get over the disorientation from the gas."

"Thanks," replied Beast Boy. Putting them in his mouth, he swallowed. "Bleah! I hate medicine! OK, now, I think I heard most of what happened, but 'cause of my animal side I'm not sure what I did hear."

"Never mind that," interrupted Robin. "What is the 'Great Enemy' you were muttering about?"

"Oh, apparently, he…it…whatever, is considered the most dangerous of all creatures. Something that all animals join against. I couldn't get a real understanding about it, only a feeling. It was triggered by the…vibes?...given off by the doc's book. Seems as if the entire book gives off that scent. That's why I went off the deep end."

"Can you be trusted?"

The changeling looked at the boy wonder with an air of disgust. "No, of course not. I might suddenly join our arch-enemy and create a costume that is stolen by a sneak thief. Or I could, undercover, lie to all my teammates, no my friends, and attack them. Gee, I don't know, maybe I can be trusted. Jeez, Robin! I'm getting damn tired of your suspicions and accusations. Amazingly enough, I've only attacked the other titans when I under the influence of chemicals that I had no control over. Unlike a certain team leader who shall remain nameless."

Robin face set in a mask of stone. He didn't like being reminded of his mistakes. He especially didn't like being reminded by someone he was always uncomfortable around because he had been unjust towards him in the past. Pointedly turning away from his green teammate, he faced Starfire. "If these warnings have been spread throughout the galaxy, who's to say that the author of this book didn't write them down as a warning? There's no sign that Cthulhu is actually here."

Starfire, Cyborg and Raven all looked at Robin. Then they all looked at each other. Raven moved over to Robin. "I believe," she said in her monotone, "that you owe Beast Boy an apology. Or at least, an explanation." Her eyes flashed red.

"I also believe that you are being unfair to friend Beast Boy." Starfire said. Off to the side, Cyborg, eyes narrowed, nodded.

Robin, in a sullen mood, muttered to Beast Boy, "sorry."

"Yeah, I can tell."

"Let's get back to business, Star, is what I said possible?"

"Yes Robin, it is possible."

"Then, we need to find out the real facts before we try to relocate seven billion people and an unknown number of animals."

"Thanks for mentioning the animals," said a grateful Beast Boy. Robin gave a rueful smile; it was the closest he was going to get to a 'real' apology.

"Doctor, we'll track down Dr. Carter. It seems that this case has expanded beyond a simple missing person. Will you allow us to hold on to Dr. Carter's papers and that book." Dr. Phillips looked uncomfortable.

"Robin, I'm not at all certain that I can leave this book with you. It's not that I don't trust you, but I'm not sure that I have the authority. I was permitted by the board to bring this to you for your review. Leaving it with you is another matter." Dr. Phillips mused, "This book is extremely valuable. Highly rare. It is the crown jewel of our university rare book collection."

"Doctor," replied Robin, "without access to every possible clue, the chances of finding your colleague being to drop drastically."

Torn between the conflicting duties to his university and his friend, Dr. Phillips was torn. Finally, the president of Jump City University chose the course of friendship over duty. "Please take care of it, and as soon as you're done with it, send for me and I'll bring it back to the University. Thank you for looking for Carter." Cyborg escorted the doctor to the front door.

Waiting for Cyborg to return, Robin began to shuffle through the various papers left by Dr. Phillips. There were a number of hand written notes, references to various books, pages, a map of Massachusetts. Cyborg returned to the common room.

"OK Titans, in order to find Carter and determine whether this Cthulhu is on earth, we need to determine everything that he was searching for, the order he was searching for it and where he's going. It appears that a good portion of his notes refer to various sections of this book. Unfortunately, it's in Latin. I know some, but not a lot. Raven, can you give me a hand?"

Raven looked startled. "Why ask me?"

"You know Latin."

"No, I don't. What makes you think that?"

"All your spellbooks, aren't they in Latin?"

"No, Azerathean. It's where I grew up. Why would you think they're in Latin?" Robin looked stunned.

"Oh….. Cyborg, don't you have knowledge of Latin?"

"Birdboy, I was an athlete and a mechanic. Why would I know Latin?"

Robin looked around. Starfire only knew languages through kissing. Somehow, he didn't think she had kissed Julius Caesar lately, so she was out.

Beast Boy mumbled.

"What was that?" Cyborg asked.

He mumbled again, slightly louder.

"Try again, grass stain. This time so we can hear you."

"I SAID I KNOW SOME LATIN!" Beast Boy looked sheepish.

The other four titans looked incredulously at the shapeshifter. After a few moments, Raven said, "You're kidding."

"No, I learned it studying up on animals."

"Wait a minute," responded Cyborg. "I thought you changed instinctively."

"I do. Do you know how many animals there are? BILLIONS! Without changing into each one, how would I know which falcon flies fastest? Which snake is longest? Which spider is most agile? I had to study as many as I could. Mento helped me learn Latin so I could get the families and genus down properly. So I could tell which type of wolf would be needed under what circumstances. I know a lot of the word because all the scientific classifications are in Latin. Doesn't mean I speak it, but I can usually figure out a lot of it."

Once again, Beast Boy had surprised them with his abilities. Robin thought to himself, "_Just ONCE, I'd like it if he would be honest with us about his abilities, his capabilities. Finding things out on the fly makes it so difficult."_

"Fine," he said out loud, "Then you can read the book."

"No."

"What?"

"No."

Robin looked stunned again. "I gave you an order."

"No."

"Beast Boy, I said…"

"NO. YOU LISTEN TO ME! I've been doing this for as long as you have. I haven't stayed alive this long by ignoring my instincts. They are telling me NOT to go near that book. You want me to read it, NO! You want me to translate it, FINE! But YOU write out the sections you want translated. I'll do it in another room. I'm NOT going near that thing. I can probably keep my animal instincts under control, but I'm not ignoring them. So I'm not taking the chance."

Beast Boy continued, "And before you call me a coward," with that, he glared at Robin, "remember, I'm the one who has faced as many dangers as you and was the one who went after the Brotherhood when you failed. Remember, Doom Patrol. So don't go there, otherwise we really will have it out." All trace of the joking prankster was gone now. This was the serious, experienced hero, a very dangerous man when he chose to be. Robin, who never liked to back down, and hated being showed up, began seething. The two titans stood face to face, eye to eye. Looking at his younger friend, yes, they were friends, even when they didn't always get along, Robin realized this was an argument he wasn't going to win.

"Fine, I'll write out the sections that Carter's notes suggest we look at, between the two of us, we probably have enough Latin to translate it." Beast Boy looked satisfied.

Robin moved over to the table in the middle of the room where Dr. Carter's papers were laying. He picked up the book.

As I said before, Mankind is a young creature. And as with most young, it means he is foolish, believing in his abilities far beyond their merits. It is a characteristic of the young that they believe themselves to be immortal, omniscient.

The Greeks, perhaps wiser than the rest of the other children we call mankind, had a word for it, hubris. A sense of pride out of proportion with abilities or merit. Oh so often has mankind fell into that pit, that trap. In the face of events and forces far beyond his ken, mankind continues to pursue courses that are far beyond his capabilities, usually to his regret.

Unlike most other turning points, the hags had played fair. They had given mankind sufficient warnings. The forces of nature had warned them. The knowledge of the supernatural had warned them. The wisdom from the stars had warned them. Three hags, three warnings. Yet, once again, mankind, believing in his own superiority, chose to ignore the warnings, to believe that he and he alone was the holder of all knowledge.

Robin opened the Necronomicon.

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And so we begin. The search for Randolph Carter and sunken R'yleh will commence in the next chapter. Hopefully, you will enjoy my little journey through the works/world of H.P. Lovecraft. To those who are reading this, my thanks. I'm somewhat saddened that I so few readers for this story (maybe I should go back to romance), still, I think it will be quite interested. It will also be far longer than my other stories as we have a number of places to go. Next stop, Arkham.

Meanwhile, my thanks to my reviewers.

The Force Is Strong With This One – I suspect you are correct. You hadn't had a hit in 4 days and I KNOW I read Joker's Shadow (cool, even if I'm not a Harley fan). As you can see from this chapter, the outside universe is far more aware of Cthulhu than humans are.

X – My thanks for your kind words. As long as you enjoy my stories, I'm satisfied. As for best, I believe there are many that can vie for that title before me. (See either Force above of Novus below for good examples)

Novus Ordo Seclorum – Novus, that was a surprise. I was sure you were familiar with Lovecraft's work. After Poe, he is probably the next greatest American horror writer (mostly short stories). My personal favorite is "The Statement of Randolph Carter". His influences are felt throughout the horror genre today. Meanwhile, I'm glad you are enjoying the story and, hopefully, this explanatory segment helps to set the stage for the coming events. And there WILL be plenty of events. (PS, Arkham Asylum in DC is named after Lovecraft's mythical town in Massachusetts where many…odd…things happen. Hence, the Titans trip to Arkham in the next chapter.)

Until next time my friends.


	4. Chapter 4

I do not own anything relating to the Teen Titans.

Opening the Closet Door a Crack – Chapter 4

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At first, the work was tedious, as is all detailed deductive work. The excitement shown in the movies and on television is fiction, to say the least. Truth to tell, detective work is intensive, painstaking attention to details. Therefore, Robin paid attention to the details. Although he had glanced through the Necronomicon, without references, it meant little. Therefore, Robin spent the rest of the day going over Dr. Carter's notes. Fortunately, as with many academics, Carter carefully documented his search and his resources. While much of it did relate to the Necronomicon, he added his own notes and concepts. After a great deal of cross referencing and analysis, on the second day, Robin decided he was ready to actively begin analysis of that cursed book.

At first, the work was even slower than normal. Robin would carefully, painstakingly transcribe the noted passages and pages from the tome and then, in another room, he and Beast Boy would go over the section and attempt a translation. The work began to move faster after Cyborg volunteered to help.

"Yo, Robin," he had asked. "I can give you a hand to make this faster you know."

"How?"

"Look, instead of you actually writing everything out. I can scan it with my electronic eye and download a copy to the computer system. Then it can be printed out and I'll bring it to you. That way you and BB can spend ALL your time translating."

Robin considered this for a moment. So far, he had hesitated to bring anyone else into the obvious danger of the Necronomicon. Robin was definitely prone to taking on more than the others and reluctant to expose the other Titans to danger, preferring to watch take the risks himself in order to keep his friends safe. Still, his drive to solve this case warred with this need. And he knew, as with any good detective, the more time that passed, the colder the trail was likely to become. Torn between conflicting impulses, he went with the path of expediency. Almost always, the wrong path.

"Look, Cy," he replied, "BB and Raven both felt this book was dangerous. Are you OK with going through this?"

"Rob, it's a book. It's made of paper and cardboard. I don't even KNOW latin. All I would be doing it making copies of pages and downloading them. How dangerous could it be? This way, I could contribute. So far, there's NOTHING I've been able to do."

Robin pondered, if Cyborg wanted to help, and was unafraid of any consequences, he could use the help. "OK Cy, if you're willing to copy the pages, it would save Beast Boy and me a tremendous amount of time. Time that we could spend translating" Robin gave his approval.

After that, progress went much quicker. Surprisingly, or maybe not, Beast Boy and Robin worked well together. While their personalities tended to clash at times, both were extremely competent, even though Beast Boy conveyed an air of incompetence. Robin, although obsessive, worked well with people who knew what they were doing. Beast Boy, generally, avoided work. However, when push came to shove, Beast Boy could throw everything into his task to get things done. Here, since the Titans were relying on him, he did so. Remarkably, he focused on his task with commendable diligence.

After two days of concerted work, Robin and Beast Boy had fallen into a routine that produced a considerable amount of results. Remarkably, the Necronomicon was far more extensive than originally anticipated. Still, Carter's notes were extensive and while the Titans did not have to look at every section and page of the book, there was a great portion of the book that had to be examined. On the evening of the second day, during a break, Cyborg went to Raven.

"Uhh, Raven, could I talk to you for a second?"

They were in Raven's room. Generally, Raven rarely allowed anyone into her room. However, since that book had entered Titan's Tower, she had spent a great deal of time in her room meditating in order to counteract the influences of the Necronomicon. In order to talk to her, Cyborg had braved the lioness's den. Normally, he would wait until she was in any of the common areas. However, this was a situation that couldn't wait. While BB was his best friend, this wasn't something he could talk to him about. Raven was his confidant, he could talk to her.

"What is it?" Raven responded. She looked at her friend. He looked tired. Moreso, he looked stressed, as if he hadn't slept in days.

"Uhhh, I'm not sure." Cyborg looked embarrassed. "Never mind. I'm sure it's nothing." He made to leave. Raven put a wall of black energy in front of him.

"You interrupted ME. Don't tell me it's nothing. What's going on?"

"Uhhh, ok, I'm going to ask you a stupid question. Have you heard anything…weird?"

Raven looked askew at her friend. "How do you mean weird? You mean like Beast Boy acting responsible and intelligent?"

"No, do you hear…." Cyborg looked around furtively, in a whisper, he continued, "voices?"

Now Raven faced Cyborg directly, the look in his eyes was particularly troubling. Well, the look in his human eye was troubling. It looked, haunted. "Do you mean human voices? Are you hearing the other Titans?"

Cyborg looked around again. He practically twitched. "Noooo, I'm….it's not the others…it's….It's not English. I don't know what's being said. It's…" he paused again. "It's some weird language, kind of like that galactic language that Starfire talked about. I can't make out words, it's…it's more like a whispering. But the words, the words, they're becoming clearer. Yog-Sothoth. Hastur." Cyborg's breathing became labored, "I hear…wings, leathery wings flapping. They're coming closer. Always closer."

Raven looked alarmed. "Cyborg…Victor, STOP READING THAT BOOK! Your part is OVER, NOW! Stay here, I'll be back in a moment." Leaving the room at a run, Raven ran to Robin's workroom. She burst in without knocking.

"You pompous, arrogant, STUPID, idiot!" she shouted at Robin. "We warned you, ALL OF US, warned you. But NO, you had to open that damned, evil book. And now you've exposed Victor to that monstrosity. Well, I'm putting an end to it. Victor will NOT be helping you any longer." The fury in Raven's eyes was such that the hint of four red eyes was there.

Robin looked abashed. Seldom did ANY of the Titans refer to each other by their real names. To do so meant that the situation was desperate. "Raven, what's happened, is Vic all right?"

"NO HE'S NOT ALL RIGHT! That book is corrupting him. He's hearing things, the influences in that book are affecting his mental state. It's opening his psyche to those beings beyond time and space. The more exposure he has, the more exposed he is. Soon, very soon, he will reach the point where they will see him and take him over."

"But, half his mind is computer. That's why I permitted it, it shouldn't affect him as much."

It was all Raven could do not to blast Robin into the nearest wall. With the greatest of effort, she held her anger in control. "YOU IDIOT! The computer portion of his mind means he can't FORGET what he read."

"So?"

"Look, the benefits, the blessing that humans have is that they quickly forget what they've read, what they've seen. The human mind is soft, it forgets. Therefore, what most people read is quickly forgotten, except for the larger concepts, unless the mind remains focused. But a computer remembers EVERYTHING. Therefore, Cyborg remembers everything, even though he may not understand it. Therefore, a trace remains in his mind. And it's affecting him. I'm going to have to wipe some of his computer memory to save his human sanity." She breathed heavily. "I'm not sure how to do that and I hope I won't do any permanent damage to him. But it's better than the alternative."

"What's the alternative?"

"Madness, permanent insanity. If we're lucky."

"And if we're not lucky?"

"Then," Raven paused, "then it means his mind becomes a conduit for whatever is affecting him. They will use him to reenter our universe. Afterwards, he will die, horribly. In more pain and suffering than you could ever imagine."

Robin, who over his brief lifetime, had been exposed to a tremendous amount of pain and suffering, shuddered. "I didn't know. I thought that the computer part of his mind would insulate him from whatever those influences were. Otherwise, I would have done in myself. Raven, you KNOW I would never deliberately put any of you in danger." The look on Robin's face was sheer torture. As their leader, he took their care and safety to heart. Unless it was in the heat of battle, when civilians were in danger, Robin would never risk his teammates. Although weaker than the others, he would take the brunt of the action on himself rather than put his friends in danger.

The look on Raven's face softened. "I know. I know you would never deliberately harm any of us. I was angry. Angry because you were not aware of the consequences of your actions. From this moment, Cyborg is NOT allowed near that book."

"Agreed."

"I have to get back to Cyborg. I left him in my room. Once I get there, I'll work on erasing as much of his recent computer memory as I can. Right now, as long as he stays away from that book, he should stabilize in his current condition. But I can't leave him for long. So, what have you found?"

Robin let out a long breath. "A great deal, and not a lot. From what I can see, Carter was tracking down a cult of water god worshippers, the Esoteric Order of Dagon. He seems to have cross referenced this against the ancient worship and belief in this Cthulhu that Starfire talks about. Apparently, he believes this is the source of devil worship." Rubbing his hands against his eyes, he continued, "We were just about finished anyway with the translation. By the way, Beast Boy's knowledge of Latin is far more extensive than he let on. He could practically read this without my help. I wouldn't be one-tenth as far as I am without him. He's sleeping now. You might want to check up on him as well, just in case."

"And you?" Raven inquired.

The Boy Wonder looked up at the grey sorceress. "I'm all right," he answered sharply.

"No voices, no sounds in the distance?"

He looked at her. "Don't be ridiculous. I never have issues with imaginary foes."

"Ohhh, and what about Slade's costume?"

"That was a chemical reaction, not a 'supernatural' occurrence."

Raven pursed her lips together. This was not the time to start a fight, she still had Cyborg to attend to. So, she continued in a different vein, "So, where do we go from here?"

Looking up at Raven, Robin replied, "I don't know. There's a page missing from this version of the book that seems to be key. From what I can tell, it's not a recent tear. Apparently, this page was torn out years ago. Carter noted it and was trying to decipher the surrounding encryptions. He seems to have come to a dead end and decided he needed to look at one of the other remaining copies."

This surprised Raven. A dead end was NOT usually where Robin ended up. "Well, what's your next step? Did Carter say what he was planning?"

Rubbing his eyes again, Robin responded, "Not precisely. Carter decided that he needed one of the other copies. Since three of the others aren't even on this continent, I suspect he won't try for those. That leaves the two on the east coast. Now, among his papers is this map of Massachusetts with a number of notes on it. Since one copy is at Princeton and the other is at this small New England university in Massachusetts, I suspect that he's tried the New England school first."

"So, we're going to New England?"

"Yes, we'll go to Miskontic University in Arkham, Massachusetts first, to get the references in the book that Carter mentioned."

"You said, first, where afterwards?"

Again, a long breath was expelled from Robin's lungs. "Afterwards, and after you've wiped Cyborg's computer memory, of course, we'll head where Carter's original destination was. It's a small town in Massachusetts, near to Arkham. That's why I suspect Carter went there. It's convenient and close to where his ultimate goal was. The town he's heading for has been abandoned for decades. From my research, I've hit a number of dead ends, mostly because of the US government. Something extremely odd happened there a number of years back." He mused, "That in itself is curious. I've never yet seen a government office able to keep a secret, yet this one has been hushhush for decades."

"So where are we going?"

"Innsmouth, Massachusetts"

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

That's right my friends, after a brief stop at Miskatonic University, the Titans will head to cursed, shadowed Innsmouth. For those of you unaware of Lovecraft's mythos, one of his greatest tails was "The Shadow Over Innsmouth". I realize that I said we would be heading for Arkham in this chapter, but the transition got so long (and I wanted to include Cyborg in the general horror, he's been pretty much ignored up to now) that I decided to shorten this chapter and go to Arkham next chapter.

Fortunately, unfortunately, I've only had two reviewers. Unfortunate, because it's only two (I'm feeling neglected). Fortunate, because it's my two most faithful reviewers and colleagues. Onward to the reviews.

The Force Is Strong With This One – I KNOW your counter is broken. I'm reading Joker's Shadow (and enjoying it immensely. You're the first one I've seen add the Creeper to the mix). People tend to forget that Starfire is only CULTURALLY ignorant, not stupid. I tried to show that here. Yes, since BB is my favorite character, it's only natural that I will focus on him, even if he's not in this chapter.

Novus Ordo Seclorum – As always, my thanks for your kind words. Again, I understand BB (I think). While he may play the clown, NO ONE could survive as long as he has being as stupid as he pretends. People forget, he's been around roughly as long as Robin and is just as experienced. During this entire storyline, you will see what I believe to be the natural competition between the two experienced sidekicks. BB doesn't want the responsibility, but he's also not going to just 'go along' because Robin says so. It's not like he's only 12 anymore and worshipping Robin. But remember, the foundation will continue to be, they're always friends. As for the hags, I will reference them when appropriate, in keeping with the arc and feel of the story.

Until next time, my friends.


	5. Chapter 5

I do not own anything relating to the Teen Titans.

Opening the Closet Door a Crack – Chapter 5

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Rather than have Raven try to help Cyborg alone, Robin left his workroom with her. Between the two of them, he reasoned, they should be able to wipe a portion of his computer memory. While Robin could be focused, obsessive, driven and self-absorbed, he was also kind and considerate. Fundamentally, he was a just person. No one could do what he did without a deep desire to help people, even if it didn't always work out.

Returning to Raven's room, Robin looked at his friend. Now, without the distraction of the caseload, he could see the strain in Cyborg's face. The haunted look on the cybernetic teen's face, the way he twitched, looking around at the air, filled him with a great unease. Moving over to his teammate's side, he said, "Come on Cy, let's get you fixed up." Although he was concerned, he didn't show it. He knew that once he did, his friend would get truly upset, figuring that if Robin was concerned, something was REALLY wrong.

Making their way to Cyborg's room, the three titans managed to hook up the various electronic components of Cyborg to his recharging station. Once in recharge mode, Robin and Raven examined the various programs that their friend had set up, programs for learning, entertainment, rebooting. However, there did not appear to be anything related to erasing or deleting memories.

"I wonder…" mused Robin. "Raven, do you think we could use the reboot program?"

The grey sorceress pondered this. Cyborg was the computer expert of the team. Robin was good, having spent much of his earlier years learning just about everything from his mentor. She had a bit of a knack, having helped Cyborg on a number of occasions. "Well, we've got to do SOMETHING. We can't leave him like this." Together the two carefully examined the reboot program.

"Bad news, Robin, it looks like we can only reboot him to the last time he recharged. Last night. That means he'll still have some memories of the first day of translating."

"Do you want to give a try at modifying it to include one more day? How dangerous would it be to leave him with a partial exposure?"

"I don't know. Maybe if we try it, it'll clear his mind enough so that he can tell us how to go back an extra day."

"Worth a shot. Let's go for it." And the two set up the rebooting program. It appeared that the program would run concurrently with the recharging, so they wouldn't know the final results until the next morning.

"In that case, I'm going back to work," stated Robin. "Why don't you see how Beast Boy is holding up? He's had a great deal of exposure as well. After all, he's the one who translated most of it, so he actually KNOWS what it said."

"So do you."

"Yeah, but I'm ok," replied Robin with a grin. The grin faded. "Please check on BB." The titan leader set off for his workroom again. Raven looked at him carefully for a moment, watching him depart. She continued to stand there for a few minutes, considering her options. Then she went to look for Starfire, Beast Boy could probably wait a few more minutes. She hoped.

She found Starfire in the kitchen.

Each Titan had habits, rituals that they would resort to in times of disquiet or unease. Robin to his workroom, Cyborg to the garage, Beast Boy to his gamestation, Raven to her meditation. Starfire would go to the kitchen and cook. She found some measure of peace in trying to recreate the cuisine of her home world using terran food. It wasn't easy. Sometimes it was actually dangerous. Once she set fire to kitchen.

Since the revelation that Cthulhu might be on the planet, Starfire had been in the kitchen almost round the clock, awaiting the order to finally begin tracking Dr. Carter. While she understood that they needed to gather information to know where he was going and what he was looking for, the waiting was becoming unbearable. She was a warrior, this was an enemy, the greatest of enemies, she wanted action.

So she cooked.

Raven went over to the Tamaranean princess. "Starfire, I need to speak with you."

"I am sorry friend Raven, I am much too upset to engage in the 'girl talk'." Starfire answered.

"No, Starfire, this is not girl talk, this is about the mission."

Dropping the pan she was holding, Starfire whirled around and grabbed her friend by the shoulders. "Has Robin determined where Great Cthulhu is? I am ready now to depart. We can leave within minutes, I have the T-Jet fueled up and on standby." The look on her face was a study in contrast, eagerness for action and great fear over the magnitude of their foe.

"No Starfire, we've run into a few problems," Raven replied. "Uhhh, could you loosen your grip on me just a little. I'm starting to bruise." Starfire looked down at her arms. She let go of Raven. "Thank you."

"What is the problem?"

Considering her words carefully, so that the alien princess would not get confused by earth's idiom, Raven started with a question that had been bothering her, "Have you ever heard of Yog-Sothoth or Hastur?" Starfire spat out a word in Tamaranean that did not sound pleasant. "I take it that's a yes."

"Those are two of the Outer Gods that Great Cthulhu wishes to bring back to our reality. How do you know of them?"

"Cyborg mentioned them."

Now Starfire looked confused. "But, I thought that humans did not know anything about Cthulhu and the Outer Gods. How do you know of them?"

"Apparently, this monstrous book," Raven had a look of pure hatred on her face, "not only contains great evil, but it also opens the human mind to influences from beyond time and space. Cyborg was hearing voices in the ancient galactic tongue, as well as leathery wings getting closer."

If Starfire had looked alarmed before, now she was truly frightened. "This is most distressing! Great Cthulhu has many servants in the galaxy, if they wish to focus on us, there is little we can do to stop them."

"Actually, my concern is more the purpose of this 'haunting'. Can the Outer Gods use people to free themselves and reenter our reality?"

Starfire pondered for a moment. "If I understand aright, no. Only Great Cthulhu and Nyarlathotep, the crawling chaos, can release the Outer Gods. In all likelihood, their intent is to 'play' with Cyborg and then kill him. The Outer Gods seek only to torture and kill all who are not their acolytes. And some who ARE their acolytes. They seek only death and destruction."

"Starfire," Raven inquired, "why do you always call him 'Great Cthulhu', not just Cthulhu?"

The alien princess looked at Raven incredulously, "Because he IS great. Evil, twisted and repulsive, a danger to all of existence though he may be, he is still great and mighty. One always gives the proper description to both a friend and a foe."

Raven shook her head, she would NEVER understand the deeper meanings of honor that meant everything to a Tamaranean. Rather than delve into this matter further, she continued to focus on her concerns. "Starfire, Robin and I are trying to erase part of Cyborg's memory to break the connection between him and the Outer Gods. But I'm concerned with Robin. He's also been exposed to this book and its contents. Cyborg didn't even understand what he was reading and it affected him. Robin DOES. While he claims he has not been affected by the book, he's lied to us before." Starfire bristled at the insinuation. Nonetheless, she kept quiet. "SomeONE needs to keep watch on him so that he really is free from the Outer Gods' influences. "

"But Raven, did not the Doctor Phillips say that only strong minded men are allowed to read the book? Would you not characterize Robin as 'strong-minded'?"

The mistress of magic examined the question posed by her friend; despite everything, in fact, BECAUSE of everything, she had to admit that Robin's mind was unusually strong. "You're right. Nonetheless, I would like you to keep a careful watch over him, something you're uniquely suited to do," she gave a small smirk at this.

"I would be extremely happy to watch over Robin." Starfire practically bubbled over with glee.

"I thought you might." After a moment's pause, Raven continued, "Before you do that, I would appreciate it if you would return that book to the university. You can get it out of the tower the fastest and return it without incident. I can't go near it and no one else can get it there quickly. Please warn Dr. Phillips that it should be kept under lock and key, like the other copies." Under her breath, she continued, "Personally, I STILL think the book should be burned."

Starfire turned to go to Robin's workroom and retrieve the Necronomicon. Before she left, she stopped and turned to Raven. "Raven, a thought just occurred to me. You said that Dr. Phillips said only strong-minded men could examine the book. Correct?"

"Yes."

"But, friend Beast Boy has been looking at the book far more than either Robin or Cyborg. Do you not remember our episode with the Mad Mod? He was very susceptible to having his mind taken over. Would not this mean that he would be MORE susceptible to having the book take him over?"

Raven stiffened. "Azar! You're right! Starfire, forget the book for the moment. Help me find Beast Boy; it's definitely a matter of life and death!" And with that, Raven raced from the kitchen, heading for the green teen's bedroom, Starfire on her heels.

Reaching the changling's door, Raven quickly punched in the override code. Starfire looked at her curiously, "Friend Raven, how did you know Beast Boy's door's override code?"

"Never mind that. Look for Beast Boy." And the two heroines entered the room. "Robin said he was sleeping, I hope that means on his bed, otherwise we may never find him in this dump." The bed was empty, both top and bottom bunks. Looking around the room as best they could, they saw no sign of Beast Boy.

"This is not good, is it?" inquired Starfire. Raven shook her head no. She opened her communicator to see if she could track down the shapeshifter. There was no signal from Beast Boy.

"Damn! That means either he's turned it off, or he's changed forms. Neither is good at this point." She began to wonder how you could find someone who could change shape with a thought, becoming practically invisible at a moment's notice. She sighed, well, there was no helping it. Seating herself in her meditative posture, she began to chant her mantra, "Azerath Metrion Zinthos". Starfire watched her carefully. Raven utilized her empathic abilities, trying to read as many of the emotional signatures that were on the island as possible. She quickly found Robin and Cyborg, right where they were supposed to be. Starfire next to her, Beast Boy, Beast Boy….there was a strange echo outside, like him, but not exactly.

Overlaying it all was the malign influence of that damned book. The oozing, oily evil permeated the entire complex, corrupting, influencing all that were there. The taint was almost more than she could bear. Yet, there was something seductive, enticing about it. What mysteries did it hold? She could feel the power, the knowledge, the greatness of the entities behind the tome. Perhaps…

NO! NOT THAT! NEVER THAT! She had resisted her father, she would resist this. Even so, for everyone's sake (especially her own), that book MUST leave the tower as soon as possible.

Opening her eyes, she turned to her friend, "Outside. He's outside." Encasing the two of them in her black energy, Raven transported them to the western side of the island, intending to reach him as soon as possible.

As it was August, the sun set late in the day, so it was still roughly an hour before sunset. It had also been a warm, cloudless day as well. The western side of the island had a small field going down to the shore, there were small bushes and a few trees around. On occasion, the titans would have picnics in the area.

Raven and Starfire appeared instantly in the field, the sight that met their eyes stunned them into immobility. They stared at it, then they looked at each other, bafflement on each face. After a moment or two, Raven spoke.

"He's…he's asleep."

"Did you not say that Robin said he was sleeping."

"Yes, but …."

"I am curious though, why is he not sleeping as he normally would?"

Beast Boy had changed form, adopting that of a wolf. He was laying on the grass, sleeping in the sun and, although his hind legs twitched occasionally, he appeared peaceful.

Raven replied, "I don't know," shaking her head.

"And why is he in the form of that rather strange looking dog?"

"I don't think that's a dog. I think that's a wolf."

"Friend Raven, I am not aware of all of the life forms on this planet. What is a wolf?"

"It's a more primitive, wild form of a dog. Thousands of years ago, some wolves were adopted by men and domesticated. Others continued in the wild. Still doesn't explain why he's here in this form." Raven moved over to the green wolf and, gently, shook his shoulder.

The wolf woke suddenly and changed back to the familiar form of their teammate. "Rae, Star, what's up? Is anything wrong?" Although he sounded a bit groggy, he seemed his normal self.

Raven was stunned. There seemed no ill effects, no visible influences from his exposure. "Ah, there's been a problem with Cyborg. The book seems to be affecting him. We're rebooting him to try to erase as much of his memory of the past two days as we can. Hopefully, this will break the book's influences. Or at least lessen them so we can get some idea from Cyborg how to fully wipe the memories."

"Oh, so he's hearing the voices and the wings too?" Beast Boy responded, rather nonchalantly.

Raven looked like she had been hit in the head with a two by four. "You've….you've…been hearing them?"

Beast Boy lifted and cocked his head, as if listening for sounds in the distance. "Not as much now. I was hearing them more earlier. That's why I've been sleeping outside as a wolf, reconnecting to nature. Nature knows what these are and is not fooled. She knows her enemy and takes countermeasures. It's been healing the effects."

Raven remained silent. Starfire took up the conversation. "Why did you not sleep as a dog as you usually do? Why this wolf form?"

"Oh, dogs are too close to man. They've lost many of their natural instincts. A wolf remains attached to the wild. Also, they're pack animals, connected to each other. By taking that form, I can reconnect easier to the feel of the earth and to the other wolves. It seems to be working. I'll probably sleep out here all night. Wolves tend to be nocturnal as well, so I'll connect even better tonight. Hopefully by morning all trace of those sounds will be gone. By the way, that reminds me, if you hear any howling tonight, don't be alarmed, that's only me."

Raven found her voice at last, "YOU OAF! You idiotic, inconsiderate, infuriating….I ought to see if you can 'bond' with the fishes in the bay! How DARE you not tell me about this! Why didn't you come to me for help?" The rage that was becoming evident on her face was almost frightening. As there was nothing nearby that would respond to the black energy overload, nothing broke, but the plants and grass began to take on an ominous dark shading.

Beast Boy looked genuinely contrite. "I didn't want to worry you, Rae. I know that book has upset you being in the tower and you need to mediate to keep its vibes from getting to you. I wanted you to focus on that. I figured I could handle this myself."

She continued to stare at the green teen for a moment, veins popping furiously on her temple. Teeth clenched, she said, "Don't call me Rae. First thing tomorrow morning, I want to see you. AND YOU ARE GOING TO TELL ME THE TRUTH THIS TIME!" She turned away and began stomping towards the door to the tower.

Chasing after her, Starfire called over her shoulder, "Good Night Beast Boy."

"Night Star, GOOD NIGHT RAE" In the distance, he could hear her mutter something. A small smile appeared on his face. He changed back into a wolf and curled down in the fading sunlight. Letting out a small sigh, he went back to sleep.

Catching up to her friend, Starfire could hear her muttering incomprehensibly. "Raven, are you all right?"

"That aggravating, infuriating…" Raven continued to mutter. Then she seemed to regain some measure of control over herself. "Well, since you're going to watch Robin, I guess I'd better keep my eye on Beast Boy and see what residual influences are affecting him."

"I thought you might," replied Starfire with a sly smile, echoing Raven's words to her earlier. Raven gave Starfire a dirty look. Starfire laughed for the first time in several days. While the air of oppression that had infected the tower had not lifted, the resumption of the normal bickering between her two friends was a welcome sight.

The grey sorceress looked disgusted. "Anyway, now that we've tracked Beast Boy down, would you please take that accursed book back to Dr. Phillips? I don't want it in the tower another hour, its malign influences are more far reaching than I thought."

"Certainly, friend Raven. I will attend to it right away." With that Starfire flew off in the direction of Robin's workroom. It did not take her long to maneuver her way to door to his workroom. Landing, she knocked and asked, "Robin, may I come in?"

There was no answer. This in and of itself was not particularly cause for alarm. Robin often became so engrossed in his work that he would not hear anyone knocking. She tried again louder, "Robin, may I come in?"

Again, there was no answer. This time Starfire did not wait for a response, she entered the room. As was Robin's wont, the room was dark, with only a few lights to focus attention on the papers on his worktable. There were papers scattered everywhere across it, notes, maps, a few pictures. And an exhausted teenager slumped over the table, snoring softly. Starfire watched the team leader for a few moments. He looked tired, but that was normal, especially when he was in the middle of a major case. He didn't seem to be affected by the Necronomicon. Still, Raven was correct, there was no point in taking chances. The book was on the corner of the table. Starfire picked it up and left the room. This would not take long.

It didn't.

The next morning, Starfire was the second to awaken. She woke up because the first one to wake up was Robin. While he was used to waking up slumped over his worktable, looking around he immediately noticed that the Necronomicon was missing. He sent out the alarm. "Starfire, Raven, Beast Boy, get in here, we've been robbed!" Needless to say, he was still half asleep.

Starfire was the only one to respond, as Beast Boy was still outside and Raven was not a morning person under the best of circumstances. Flying into the workroom, she called out, "Good Morning, Robin. It appears you have become aware of the absence of the old book."

Robin stopped for a moment. "How did you know what was missing?"

"Because it was I who returned it to Dr. Phillips. Raven believed that its influences were becoming a problem for everyone and felt it was safer away from the tower."

"Wait a minute, I know it was causing Cyborg a lot of trouble." Putting two and two together, "So, it is affecting Beast Boy." Starfire nodded agreement. "Well, you and Raven were right. We were done with it anyway and the quicker it was out of here, the better. Sorry about hitting the panic button."

Starfire looked around the room. "I do not see a button of panic anywhere in the area. What does it look like?"

Robin chuckled. Someday he would remember not to use common earth sayings without explaining it first to Starfire. "A panic button is an expression meaning to send out an alarm before you know what's going on, thereby starting a panic for no reason." Getting serious once again, he continued, "What happened to Beast Boy?"

"Apparently, he has also been hearing strange voices speaking ancient languages and hearing wings. Robin, are you certain you have not been hearing these things as well?"

Robin paused, as if listening. After a moment, he responded, "No, I don't hear anything along those lines. Everything seems normal." Another pause, "In any case, I was done with the book for the time being. The missing page appears to be key and we'll have to go elsewhere to find it."

"Therefore," he continued, "first I'm going to check in on Cyborg and Beast Boy, then take a shower. After that, we can get ready to leave." Looking at his watch, he calculated. "Would you tell the others that I want to leave by no later than 9:30."

"Why don't you tell us yourself?" interrupted Raven, who now appeared in the doorway. "I've already spoken with Beast Boy. There are still a few traces of influence, but he's pretty much back to normal. I expect that for the next couple of nights, he's going to be sleeping in the form of a wolf." Robin looked puzzled.

"Uhhh, back up a moment, what's that about a wolf?"

"It seems that he's able to counteract the effects of that book by spending time as an animal. Animals know their enemies and are more resilient to their influences. So, by sleeping as a wolf, he's 'reconnecting' with nature and reducing any influence that cursed book has on him. He's asleep again. Just let me know when you're ready to leave and I'll have him ready as well."

Both Robin and Starfire raised eyebrows at this. "Raven, since when have you become Beast Boy's keeper?" There was just the hint of a smirk behind Robin's question. Raven gave him a cold look.

"Because NO ONE ELSE seems to take my warnings seriously except Starfire. Therefore, I'm watching Beast Boy and Starfire's watching YOU!"

"What about friend Cyborg?"

"We'll all have to watch for him especially. He doesn't seem to have any of the protections that Robin and Beast Boy have."

"Speaking of which," interjected Robin, who was somewhat insulted by being issued a keeper as well, "Has anyone checked in on Cyborg?" He said that looking at Raven.

"I thought all of us should see him when he wakes up. If he's lost part of his memory, he may be disoriented."

Robin looked at her approvingly. "Good thinking. Before we do anything else, we should see how Cyborg is doing." The three of them left Robin's workroom and made their way to Cyborg's room. Reaching his room, Robin punched in the access code. Entering the room, Robin saw that the rebooting program had completed as had the recharging. All that was left was to reactivate their friend. Raven hit the activation switch associated with the reboot program.

Cyborg opened his eye, the light coming on fully in his electronic eye. "What's going on? Why is everyone here?" Pausing for a moment, he continued, "I've been rebooted, I've lost a day. My internal clock doesn't match the tower's clock. WHAT HAPPENED?"

"You started being affected by that damn book," Raven answered. "You were hearing things and it was getting stronger. Do you hear anything now?"

Looking ashamed of himself, the cybernetic teen answered quietly, "Yes, I can hear voices."

Robin responded, "How loud?"

"It's a quiet whisper, if I concentrate, I can almost make out the individual words."

"Do you hear any wings?" questioned Raven. Cyborg looked confused.

"Wings, what are you talking about?"

Raven let out a breath of relief. "Well, we know it partially worked. Cyborg, is there any way to remove one more day. For your own safety, we need to wipe everything related to that malign book from your mind."

"No way! Do you think I'd leave any way to erase my memory? Can you imagine the danger if my memory could be wiped? Do understand how VIOLATED I'd feel?"

Robin and Raven looked abashed. "Cy," answered Robin, taking the heat, "we couldn't leave you in the condition you were in. You were losing your mind, you looked terrible. I'd do it again in a heartbeat to save your sanity. So, I'm STILL going to ask, is there any way to remove one more day's memory."

While Cyborg looked insulted, he answered honestly, "No, there's no way to erase my electronic memory. I'm sure you could hypnotize me, but that would only superficially cover up my memory, not remove it. I'm just going to have to live with it."

The other three titans looked at one another. This was not the news they had hoped to hear. But it seemed there was no alternative.

"Very well. Since there's nothing we can do at the moment, we'll have to wait and see if there is something we can do later." Stated Robin. "To bring you up to speed, we're going to be going to Arkham to Miskatonic University to look at another copy of the Necronomicon to find the missing page. After that, we're going to Innsmouth Massachusetts to begin the search for Randolph Carter. Everyone, get packed for a few days, we leave at 9:30."

Raven and Starfire left to get ready. In Starfire's case, this was not much as she had been ready for days. So she offered to help Raven with Beast Boy. Robin lingered behind. "Cy….Vic, are you going to be all right?"

"Rob, I can't promise anything. If I was as bad as you say, I'm not that bad now. Still, there's no way to tell what the future holds."

Shortly afterwards, a small jet flew away from the edifice of glass and steel, as five adventurers left to see what that future might be. They left a city of glass and steel, a mythological place where man ruled his realm, where there was nothing mightier than himself. They left a new place, heading for an old place, Arkham. Arkham, center of the Miskatonic Valley, neighbor to shadowed Innsmouth, Dunwich, and other, haunted towns. A region that had never forgotten that there are older and mightier beings in the cosmos which view the challenge of mankind as inconsequential.

And somewhere, three hags were laughing.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Sorry for the extended delay in updating. This chapter took forever (as you can see by its length, my longest chapter ever). However, I was determined to get them heading for Arkham as I promised. Five chapters completed and they hadn't even left the TOWER. I've still got a few places for them to travel to before the conclusion.

My thanks, as always, to my readers and especially my reviewers. In order,

The Force is Strong with This One – My eternal thanks for the shout out. It was extremely kind of you to do so. As you say, the references to Lovecraft might be above the head of those unfamiliar to with the writer. Maybe if I'm lucky, my homage to the master will garner some new readers.

Nico – Glad you're enjoying this, I'll update as soon as I can.

Raven's Favorite Emotion – Throughout this story, everyone will be affected by the events. And as you can see, even if Robin does not appear to be affected (key word, appear), it doesn't mean the others believe it.

Anonymity is Best – Actually, I'm in keeping with the series. Or trying to anyway. The series seems to portray Robin as the ultimate Type A person, always focused on the job and not always aware of the impact of some of his responses (see the entire Red X fiasco). Beast Boy, on the other hand, in the series has the most complex of personalities. Mostly used for comedy relief, when things get serious (Doom Patrol, Brotherhood of Evil, Terra) he becomes extremely competent, caring and reveals that there is far more to him than the prankster. I find him fascinating, to say the least. Probably why he (and Raven) are such a focus of my stories.

Crimson Black – My thanks for branching out to read my story. Glad you are enjoying it. Not giving away anything here but, yes, there will be interludes between Starfire and Robin. As I mentioned above, BB and Raven are my favorites, but there is a reason I set Starfire to watch Robin.

Hawkgirl90 – I have this classified as horror due to the homage to Lovecraft. Also because the horror will be in the form of mood and suspense (and the ending, boy, am I looking forward to that!). What today is considered horror is not to my taste, so there will be no guts and gore or torture. The greatest horror is the horror of the mind. So, I hope you continue to enjoy.

Novus Ordo Seclorum – I was starting to wonder what happened to you, my friend, you usually review much quicker. Innsmouth will be revelatory and send them on the next phase of their journey. But first we WILL need to find that missing page. In doing so, we'll learn a little more about the Necronomicon and its influences. If I can keep Arkham down to 'only' two chapters, I'll consider myself lucky. As always with Lovecraft, there always seems to be one more twist.

Until next time my friends.


	6. Chapter 6

I do not own anything relating to the Teen Titans.

Opening the Closet Door a Crack – Chapter 6

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The T-Jet traveled quickly across the country. Moving from one coast to another generally took several hours. However, the Titan's aircraft, between the Justice League's technology and Cyborg's mechanical abilities, was able to make the trip in roughly an hour and a half. Of course, traveling at sub-orbital levels tended to help. By the time the Titans approached Arkham, Massachusetts, it was mid-afternoon.

It would have helped the atmospheric mood of the adventure if it was raining, torrential rain with lightning and thunderclaps. However, life (and the fates) do not always cooperate with the moods. Consequently, it was a hot, late August afternoon in Arkham when the titans landed in a large field at Miskatonic University. Since classes were not yet in session, the T-Jet did not attract a tremendous amount of attention. After parking, the titans made their way to Clark Ashton Smith Hall, the administrative building for the university. The five heroes, walking up the steps to the front door, entered the building.

Approaching the receptionist, Robin said, "Excuse me, would it be possible to see Dr. Warren?" Dr. Harley Warren was the president of the university. The Boy Wonder anticipated that if they were to examine the university's copy of the Necronomicon, they would need his permission.

The receptionist looked up, eyes widening. "Uhhh,…." It was apparent that the presence of the five titans was a bit of a shock to her. Considering that their usual home base was on the west coast, to say the least the five titans were certainly out of place.

"The president, Dr. Warren?" Robin repeated in a kindly voice.

"Uhhhh….let me check if he's occupied." With that, the secretary got up from her desk and moved to a door across the hall. Opening it, she entered quickly. After a very brief moment, she returned. "Dr. Warren will see you." And she opened the door to let in the five teens.

The titans entered the office of Dr. Harley Warren. It was a plush room, warm paneling on the walls, a number of plaques signifying various awards and achievements. The desk was large and not particularly neat. Papers were strewn everywhere, in various piles, sometimes up to a foot deep.

As for Dr. Warren himself, he was a comparatively small man, only about five and a half feet. A shock of red, unkempt hair covered his head, as if he had been running his hands through it. A sharp, protruding nose, his eyes were quite alive and merry. A bright smile was across his countenance. Coming around his desk, he approached the heroes, "What a pleasure it is to meet you all. I've been an admirer for quite some time. I assume that you are here regarding Dr. Carter."

Four of the five titans were stunned by this statement. Only Robin seemed unaffected. Beast Boy burst out, "Dude! He's as good as you are!"

Chuckling, Dr. Warren replied, "Not quite, Beast Boy. I would not begin to compare to Robin in deductive ability. However, one doesn't get to my position without a bit of smarts. You're based in Jump City; Dr. Carter was here a few weeks ago. He's from JCU. Ergo, you're looking for him."

The four other titans looked even more nonplussed. Robin had a large smile on his face. "What a pleasure it is to meet you. It's rare that I get to speak with someone with whom I can converse on an equal level. At least one who is not trying to take over the world or some such craziness."

Dr. Warren laughed aloud. "No, I promise you. I'm not prone to megalomania. I have enough difficulties dealing with the students, faculty and regents. Good Lord, why anyone would WANT the world is beyond me." Robin laughed in response. He was already enjoying the company of Dr. Warren and was looking forward to their discussion.

"If we may be seated?"

"Please."

The titans took various seats around the room, Robin and Starfire in the chairs in front of the desk, Beast Boy and Raven on a sofa against the wall. Cyborg stood. He knew his weight would be too much for most unreinforced furniture.

"Now, since you are looking for Dr. Carter, how can I help you?"

"We need to examine one of your library's rare books." At that, the smile fell away from Dr. Warren's face. A look of somber resignation appeared on it.

"I should have known. After all, Carter wanted to see it as well. Naturally, in order to find him, you're retracing his footsteps. Damn, damn, damn."

Now Robin was startled. Of all the responses he had anticipated, this was not one of them. "Is there some problem with looking at the book, or with Dr. Carter's request?"

"I hate that damn book."

"Me too," piped up Raven from the back wall.

Dr. Warren looked pointedly at Raven. "Yes, from everything I've heard about you, I suppose you would. But not for the same reasons I have." Raven's eyebrows rose up at that response.

"You see, while I may not have the visceral impressions that you have, I see the results." Dr. Warren continued sadly. "You probably would not believe the protections and safeguards I've had to install around that book, as well as the other eldritch books in our collection. We have the finest collection of occult books in the western hemisphere, possibly in the world. Still, there are times I wish they would all go away."

The titans looked at one another in confusion. Then back to Dr. Warren.

"Let me put it this way," continued Dr. Warren. "Up until two years ago, there were roughly two suicides and three cases of insanity per year among the student population. We only have a total of 2000 students on campus."

"Whoa," responded Cyborg, "statistically, that's WAY above the norm."

"Yes, because inevitably, during senior week or during pledge week or just on a drunken dare, some student would sneak into the rare book section of the library and try to read the Necronomicon."

"Doctor," interrupted Robin. "I didn't mention the book I was interested in."

Dr. Warren looked at the Boy Wonder with contempt. "Please do NOT treat me like an idiot. I am very well aware of our reputation, Dr. Carter's interests, Dr. Carter's actions here at the university and the recent find made by Jump City University." Robin, for once, looked abashed.

"I'm sorry. I'm not used to dealing with people so aware of the situations we usually deal with."

"Regardless, I know you're interested in the mad Arab Alhazred's Necronomicon. After all, Carter asked to see it as well. Apparently, the copy in Jump City University is missing a page."

"Excuse me, doctor," interjected Raven, "can we go back to the statement you made regarding suicides and insanity."

Dr. Warren looked at Raven with approval. At last, here was someone with a proper appreciation of the dangers regarding forbidden works. "There are three sets of people who read the Necronomicon. The first are those who are, comparatively, unaffected. They seem to have sufficient will to resist the concepts within and are able to deal with the matter in an academic manner. I'll be quite candid, they are very few and far between. Even then, they do not read the whole work, only select portions. I'm not sure ANYONE has read the entire work since Alhazred wrote it."

"And the other two?" asked Robin.

The president of the university let out a great sigh. "Well, one tends to go mad, quickly. We find them cackling, babbling or simply drooling mindlessly in the library. There's a local sanitarium nearby where they are cared for. They can live anywhere from a month to twenty years afterwards. Only two have ever regained their sanity. Both stayed in seclusion for several years afterwards before killing themselves."

Seeing the look of horror on the titans' faces, Dr. Warren continued. "The last type generally killed themselves quickly. The most common was by leaping off the roof. It's five floors down. Most seemed to jump headfirst to ensure a quick death. A few seemed to have some type of weapon, gun usually, and used it in the library room. Remarkably, one actually choked himself to death by trying to eat another book."

Dr. Warren rubbed his eyes tiredly. "Before I instituted these safety measures, the librarian's first task every morning was to walk the perimeter of the library looking for corpses. His second was to look through the rare book section looking for corpses. Generally, we went through a librarian a year. Once, oh, roughly fourteen years ago, one student actually went into the history section before she killed herself. It was another student who found her. She left the school shortly afterwards claiming she started hearing noises, voices." In an undertone, he continued, "wish I knew what happened to her."

"Anyway, I was finally able to get sufficient funding to put in a sealed, airtight room with a number of safety features. That's cut down tremendously on the accidents."

"Airtight? Doctor, I am not sure what you mean by that." Asked Starfire.

"Many of these books are extremely old and valuable. We needed a climate controlled environment for them in order to preserve them in their current condition and prevent additional deterioration. While doing so, I managed to institute a number of safety features including an airlock. It's cut down the number of incidents."

"But not ended them?" queried Robin.

Dr. Warren sighed, "No, not entirely. At least we're not finding a body every few months. I suppose it's pointless to ask if it's really necessary for you to do this."

"I'm sorry doctor, if we are to find Dr. Carter, we need as much information as possible." Robin replied.

"Very well, however, I'm going to limit your examination to only those pages that Carter himself examined this last time, pages 359 and 360. You will, of course, sign the normal waivers." Robin's eyebrows rose at this.

"Waivers?"

The president looked at Robin with surprise, "Certainly. You don't think I'm going to put the university at risk, do you? All legitimate examiners of our rare books, especially THAT one, have to sign a waiver that they do this freely and of their own will, that in the event of madness or death within a period of 14 days after the examination, the university is not responsible."

"Dude, that's cold," interrupted Beast Boy.

"Beast Boy, we're already paying a fortune for the unauthorized viewings of our works. As it is, we very seldom let anyone examine our collection who isn't on the faculty."

"Then why did you let Dr. Carter view it?" asked Raven.

"Well, I've known him for years, his reputation in the field is tremendous. This isn't the first time he's looked at the Necronomicon, either. In this case, it was more of a quick checking of his facts before continuing."

"I assume he also signed the waiver," continued Robin. Dr. Warren nodded. "Well, in that case, we'll sign it, all except Cyborg. He won't be going anywhere near it." Warren looked questioningly at the Boy Wonder. "He's already had an, uh, incident, with the Necronomicon and I'm not taking any more chances with him."

"In that case, he can stay outside the rare book room with me." With that, Dr. Warren reached into a desk drawer and extracted a form. Pushing it across the desk, he continued. "Only those individuals who sign that will be allowed in the room."

The titans, minus Cyborg, signed. Dr. Warren sighed. "I truly wish you weren't going to examine this. While it seems that you already have some experience with the Necronomicon, I wonder if you are really aware of the dangers involved."

"I am," replied Raven.

"Me too!" piped up Beast Boy.

"Friend Doctor, I am not certain even you are aware of the full danger in that book." Starfire said. Dr. Warren looked surprised at that.

"As you can see, Dr. Warren, I believe we are quite aware of the dangers." Finished Robin.

Under her breath, Raven muttered, "Not all of us."

With that, the president led the titans out of his office and they made their way over to the library. It was a short walk as the university was not large. Well, the university was not large, however, the library itself was. A full five stories tall, made of granite and marble with stone pillars in the front. Similar to the cathedrals of Europe, gargoyles peered over the roof, staring down unblinkingly from their lofty summit. Climbing the thirteen steps to the massive bronze door, the six of them walked in. Approaching the front desk, Dr. Warren spoke to the receptionist at the desk.

"Joan, would you have Danforth paged?"

"You wished to see me?" said a quiet voice from off to the side. Startled, the president turned around and chuckled.

"Danforth, I know you are supposed to be quiet in a library, but I do believe you carry it to extremes at time. I never hear you approach. Titans, this is Mr. Danforth, our librarian." A small wizened man stood before them, a touch stooped with a shock of unruly grey hair. A long hooked nose extended from his face, he wore no glasses, surprising for a librarian.

"A pleasure." The titans all exchanged a greeting with him.

"Danforth, we need to visit the room." At that, the librarian let out a deep breath.

"Again, so soon?"

"Fraid so, the Titans are trying to track down Carter." Turning to the titans, Dr. Warren continued, "This is part of our security measures. I have the only key to the airlock, but only Danforth has a key to the room. That keeps most of the idle curiosity seekers out."

"Pity it doesn't keep the engineering students out," mentioned Danforth.

The party made its way up to the fifth floor. At the end of the fifth floor corridor was a door with the sign "Restricted. Authorized Personnel Only." Danforth took out a key and unlocked the door. He then entered the room, followed by Dr. Warren and the titans.

The room was quite large, with fully four-fifths behind a glass wall. Inside the glass partition were a number of bookcases, several tables and a number of pedestals with books laying on them. Off to the side was a smallish mini-room with a door to the glass enclosure and a door into the remainder of the room, the airlock. This too was made largely of glass, although there was a considerable amount of machinery (air pump) on top. Essentially, this was to replace as much of the outside air with the encased air, thereby reducing the amount of pollutants. It wasn't terribly efficient, but this was the most a small school could afford.

Dr. Warren walked over to the airlock and unlocked the door. Opening it, he motioned the titans into the small compartment. All, save Cyborg, went inside. Closing the door behind them, the president moved over to the control panel to begin the process.

"This should only take a moment or so, it's basically designed to remove a reasonable amount of the pollutants in the air. Most of these books are extremely fragile and delicate. The four remaining titans stood their patiently while the procedure finished. Once the green light appeared on the control panel, Dr. Warren spoke into a microphone, "Robin, it's ok now. You can enter the room."

Robin opened the door to the rare book repository. Raven immediately fell to her knees, one hand on the floor, one covering her mouth, hunched over.

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For the initiated, Harley Warren was Randolph Carter's companion in the story "The Statement of Randolph Carter". Danforth also appears in a Lovecraft story (without a first name that I can find, so I left it out), if you track down his appearance, you'll know where we go after Innsmouth.

I recognize that not much beyond exposition occurred in this chapter. Basically, it's a transitional chapter to get everyone fully aware of the nature of the Necronomicon. Next chapter, I promise, there will be a bit more action.

My continuing thanks to my readers and my special thanks, as always, to my reviewers. Onward,

Lulu Sushi – My intent it to make sure EVERYONE has a role to play in this story. In fact, everyone has a key position in the story which will affect the storyline even beyond their current one. Glad you are enjoying it.

The Force is Strong With This One – Is Robin being less than honest? Time will tell. He's always held his cards close to his chest. As for Cyborg, I realize that any computer can be wiped. However, I NEED him to still be affected, so I fudged it a bit. You know, I just thought it would be funny for Raven to have the code, never occurred to me she would just teleport in. Blind spot. And in Chapter 7, the missing page mystery is answered.

Hawkgirl90 – Glad to set your mind at ease. Believe it or not, this may be the 'goriest' chapter in the entire story, and I leave the gore entirely to your imagination.

Crimson Black – Sigh, I know, took me far longer to get to Arkham than I said. I refuse from now on to claim we're going somewhere until we actually leave. By the by, the relationships will become more focused in the next chapter. And there will be a 'pure' relationship chapter later in the story, much later.

Novus Ordo Seclorum – Once again, as always, I am appreciative of your kind remarks. I actually spend several hours each day plotting before writing. (My commute is 1 hour each way, nothing else to do). Given that you are not as familiar with Lovecraft as some others, I hope you enjoyed this little retrospective on the effects of the Necronomicon. It actually reflects the three basic responses that the characters in Lovecraft have to the book.

An Avid Reader – As you are obviously aware, horror can be fun. All I'm doing is stealing from the master and putting the titans in it. Since you are a fan, I'm sure you have an idea or two where this will eventually go.

Until next time my friends.


	7. Chapter 7

I do not own anything relating to the Teen Titans.

Opening the Closet Door a Crack – Chapter 7

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Upon seeing Raven fall to the floor, Beast Boy immediately pushed Robin and Starfire through the door into the repository. He slammed the door shut behind them. Morphing into a gorilla, he picked Raven up in one arm and pounded on the door back to the antechamber. Dr. Warren, seeing the situation, threw the override switch on the control panel and opened the door. With the outer door opened, Beast Boy ran out of the airlock cradling Raven in one arm. He went immediately over to the door to the corridor and, with one arm, splintered the door. Putting his shoulder against the remains, he pushed through the wreckage and moved his way down the corridor, continuing to hold Raven gently in his arm.

Dr. Warren and Cyborg heard the sounds of shattering glass. Cyborg turned to the president.

"Doc, what the HELL do you have in there?"

"I told you, we have the finest, most complete set of arcane works in the world. In addition to the ONLY complete copy of the Necronomicon known to man, the other five known copies are missing numerous pages, we also have the largest collection of fragments of the _Pnakotic Manuscript_ in the world. There is not a known complete copy. We also have two copies of _Unaussprechlichen Kulten_ by Von Junzt, one in the original German, another in a very rare French translation. D'Erlette's _Cultes des Goules_ in the original French and an incredibly rare Italian version. We also have one pristine copy of Ludvig Prinn's _De Vermis Mysteriis_ and two other copies that are not in as good a condition. We have one of the only two known copies of the _Liber Ivonis_. We've even managed to find an almost complete copy of the _Book of Dzyan_ and a large portion of the _Book of Eibon_, both of which there are no complete copies anywhere in the world. And, and…we have the ONLY known copy of Chamber's _The King in Yellow_." All the while, Warren became more and more animated as he discussed these esoteric and malignant tomes. "And these are only the MAJOR works in our collection. There are a number of minor works that comprise our eldritch library." Pausing for breath, he continued, "Scholars of the arcane come from all over the world for just a brief exposure to these volumes."

Pausing for reflection, Dr. Warren continued, "As I said earlier, sometimes I wish the entire collection would go away, the responsibility is so great. Yet, this may be the greatest aggregation of, well, for lack of a better term, 'evil' works that have ever been gathered under one roof."

"Shit. Hope Raven's all right."

When Beast Boy crashed through the door from the rare book repository, he saw the corridor that the titans had taken to reach the room, and at the far end was a large window. Racing towards the window, the green gorilla picked up a nearby chair and, without missing a step, threw it at the window ahead of him, shattering most of the panes. Turning sideways to shield Raven from any remaining glass, Beast Boy threw himself through the window.

Although they were five stories up, as they fell Beast Boy transferred his grip on Raven to his feet. Once he had a solid grip, he transformed again from a gorilla into a giant condor, his arms becoming the wings and his legs grasping Raven. Carefully, he lowered the two of them to the ground.

Once on the ground, he changed back to his normal form. Raven continued to be hunched over in apparent agony. Barely pausing, Beast Boy put Raven on his back and put her arms around his neck.

"Hold on Rae, I'll get you out of here." With that, he transformed once again, this time to a large horse. Galloping at full speed with Raven's arms secured around his neck, he raced away from the library towards a distant copse of trees. As a thoroughbred is one of the fastest animals on earth for a short distance, Beast Boy was rather quickly safely among the forest branches. Running deeper into the woods, the green teen finally stopped by a small pond within a grove and morphed back to a human shape. Bringing Raven over to the water's edge, he gently helped her down and laid her alongside the water.

Raven tried to rise. The nausea that she had felt from the overwhelming evil within that room was still present, although lessened. She promptly threw up. Then she laid back down, more like collapsed, only this time Beast Boy got his lap under her so that her head was raised and he was supporting her. Stroking her hair, he quietly waited until she woke and would be able to move.

Robin and Starfire were stunned, to say the least, when they felt hands in the middle of their back pushing them into the room. Turning quickly around, they saw the transformed Beast Boy carrying their grey teammate through the antechamber and out the door.

"Robin! Should we not assist Beast Boy with Raven?"

Robin examined the scene quickly. "Star, he hasn't been taken over by his animal instincts since he morphed. He's not the Beast, so he's in control. It seems that he's trying to get her out of the vicinity of the library as fast as possible. Much faster than either of us could do so right now. Cyborg doesn't seem to be moving to help, so it doesn't look serious. Besides, you KNOW Beast Boy will never let anything happen to Raven." He had a touch of a smirk on his face as he made that last statement. "We'll catch up with those two later and find out all of the details. I need to see what's on that missing page."

Starfire looked at the titan's leader with some puzzlement. He was always concerned with the safety of his teammates, yet he was also driven by his need to solve a mystery. Obviously, these conflicting impulses were at play here. Yet, it was odd that he so cavalierly assumed that Raven was safe.

"_Perhaps,"_ she thought, _"he FINALLY realizes how much Beast Boy cares for Raven, and that as long as Beast Boy is alive, he will protect her from harm. If only he would let himself feel the same way, and understand how I feel."_

Starfire and Robin were in the rare book repository. The air had the aroma of old, musty books. Furthermore, there was something else, an unidentifiable trace of something ancient. Not old as books tend to be, but ancient, as in forces that are beyond human reckoning. If either had been a fraction aware as Raven had been, they would have understood the malignant forces that had been concentrated in that room. Still, perhaps for their own safety, it is better that they did not. The two looked around the room, trying to locate the library's version of the Necronomicon. Off to the side, the two saw a pedestal with a large book on top. Moving over to it, Robin recognized it as the tome they were searching for.

"This is it, Starfire. Now, to FINALLY see what's on the missing page."

Robin opened the Necronomicon to page 359 and began the laborious process of trying to read the latin verbiage. Trying to read the written text, he muttered, "Damn it, wish Beast Boy was here. He could get through this a lot faster than I can." Slowly working his way through the text, Robin came to a sudden stop. "I don't know this. It doesn't seem to be in latin anymore." Pausing, he tried sounding the text out mentally.

"You know, Starfire, it almost looks like that galactic tongue that you were originally, speaking back at the tower. Here, it says 'Cthulhu' and here it says 'fhtagn'. Would you take a look, maybe you'll understand it." Robin moved to the side of the pedestal and let Starfire look at the book.

Starfire moved over and began looking at the page in question. After a moment, she turned pale. Turning the page, she continued to read. Finishing the page, she turned back to the start and read it again. As she turned the page, her hands clenched into fists. As she finished the second page, a snarl passed across her face.

With one quick motion, she tore the offending page out of the book. Holding it in her hand, she marched towards the glass wall separating the repository from the antechamber. Without a moment's thought, she walked through the glass wall without blinking, towards the, already shocked, Dr. Warren. All the while, she was saying something in Tamaranean, something that didn't sound pleasant. The wall shattered and fell into shards around the titan from the stars. Moving over to Dr. Warren, she grabbed him by the collar and held him aloft.

"DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT YOU HAVE HERE? YOU STUPID, FOOLISH HUMAN!"

Running after her, Robin tried to hold her back, "Star, don't hurt him! What does it say?"

Turning to her leader, she shouted, "I SHOULD NEVER HAVE LISTENED TO YOU. I SHOULD HAVE EVACULATED THE PLANET IMMEDIATELY THREE DAYS AGO!"

"Star, what is it?" said Cyborg.

Attempting to get her emotions under control, she said, "It is the most dangerous information in the entire universe. It is the END of the universe!"

Robin, Cyborg and Dr. Warren looked confused. "I'm sorry, Star, I don't understand." Said Robin.

"It is a ritual for raising dead Cthulhu. A detailed description of the steps needed to raise R'yleh and resurrect Cthulhu. It describes the steps and the necessary celestial forces that will bring him back."

"Would it work?" asked Robin.

Starfire looked incredulously at the Boy Wonder. "Would it WORK? NO SANE BEING WOULD TRY IT! Do you not understand? Resurrecting Cthulhu means the end of EVERYTHING! I would not begin to experiment on this. This information SHOULD NOT BE!" With that, she held aloft the page and, with her energy bolts, incinerated the page before their eyes.

"NOOOOOOO!" Cried Dr. Warren, "That page is priceless, irreplaceable."

"Good. This knowledge is too dangerous to exist."

"No information is too dangerous to exist." Replied Dr. Warren. Starfire looked at the president as if he were insane.

"Are you mad? Robin, I cannot believe that humans are this stupid, this insane, this childish, that they can not believe that there is knowledge that is better off destroyed."

Robin looked at the princess from the stars. "Uhh, actually, that is the philosophy of most scientists and human beings." Starfire looked at Robin with absolute astonishment on her face. She began talking rapidly in Tamaranean, none of which sounded polite.

"Well, it doesn't matter. I'm not giving this a chance to survive. We are going BACK to the tower and I'm going to call the Grand Council like I originally intended and we are going to clear this planet."

Thinking quickly, Robin answered, "Starfire, listen to me. There's still no proof that R'yleh is on earth. You admitted that there was no way to know if the ritual would work. The author was a madman, everyone admits that." Starfire nodded. "This could just be the ravings of a madman. The fact that it is in the galactic tongue only means that he was in contact with SOMEONE from the galaxy, not that he knew what he was doing. So, we are still back where we were. We need to find Dr. Carter and find out what is going on. We can't evacuate seven billion people without proof. The populace wouldn't be able to handle it."

Dr. Warren looked startled at this last pronouncement. "What do you mean evacuate the earth?"

While Robin and Starfire were in a battle to determine the fate of the planet, Cyborg explained the situation that had arisen with the knowledge of Cthulhu. Dr. Warren paled and looked like he was about to faint. "But, but, where would we go, what would we do?" he asked.

"Starfire, do you see this? This is an educated, knowledgeable human. And he would not be able to handle being relocated to another planet." Robin responded.

"Robin, it doesn't matter. The safety of the universe is more important. Are you telling me that the seven billion humans on this planet are more important than the billions upon billions of inhabitants on thousands of other planets?"

The Boy Wonder had to think fast, he could tell he was losing this argument. "Starfire, we still have no PROOF. I'll make an agreement with you, if we can determine that R'yleh is on earth AND that Cthulhu is in danger of rising, I'll agree to the evacuation of the planet."

Starfire looked uncertain at this, she had grown to love the earth and its crazy, childish inhabitants, but this was CTHULHU.

"Starfire, for me," said Robin, looking tenderly into Starfire's eyes, hoping to convince her to spare the planet.

Slowly, reluctantly, Starfire nodded agreement. She would continue to wait until there was proof.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

A short chapter I'll admit, but one, I hope, packed with considerable action. OK, not fighting, but some interaction between characters and explanation of the situation. We've got one more chapter in Arkham, then on to Innsmouth.

Meanwhile, although I've very few readers, I'm enjoying writing this. I am starting to wonder if I shouldn't change the categorization from horror to just pure action/adventure. No, I'm not changing my storyline. (It will ALWAYS be a tribute to Lovecraft), but I'm wondering if it doesn't fail the test of being classified as horror. Maybe there really hasn't been much horror. I tend to think it's more suspense myself. I can in no ways compare to the master in building atmosphere and tension. Much of HP's horror came from the finale (as will this little tale), so I leave it to my (rare) readers, should I recategorize this or not?

By the by, all of the books, save one, are mentioned prominently in Lovecraft's work. Only ONE book I cheated on. Robert Chamber's King in Yellow is a real book. I have a copy (took me years to get one). NO, it's not an arcane book of evil, but a collection of stories. Lovecraft mentions it in two essays, one on the Necronomicon, where he attributes the book to being inspired by Chamber's reading of the Necronomicon, the second in his essay on supernatural horror in literature, where he pays tribute to Chambers as inspirational and wishes he had continued in the genre.

Meanwhile, as always, my thanks to my reviewers. Only two this time, but two faithful friends.

Novus Ordo Seclorum - Yes, I've tried to make it seem as if there is a 'daredevil' aspect to looking into the Necronomicon. Given the first category of readers, you have to wonder, how many 'normal' people have read the book and are walking around. And what is the REAL influence of the book. That remains to be seen. There is much to go in our story.

The Force is Strong With This One – Personally, I liked the idea of a liability waiver. I thought it a 'cute' idea regarding allowing the titans access to the book. Glad you've enjoyed the latest chapter.

Meanwhile (sigh), so few readers. Still, I'm grateful to those of you faithful out there. I consider you friends.

Until next time, sleep well.


	8. Chapter 8

I do not own anything relating to the Teen Titans.

Opening the Closet Door a Crack – Chapter 8

Xxxxxxxxxx

Although Starfire was, reluctantly, willing to wait, she was unwilling to move ahead blindly. "Very well, since I agree to wait until we have 'proof', where do we go next to find this proof?" The other two titans looked at each other in some puzzlement. This excursion to find the missing page of the Necronomicon had not turned out quite according to plan.

Robin sighed. "Well, Carter was ultimately on his way to Innsmouth..." At that name, Dr. Warren gasped aloud. "I take it you know something about it?"

"Robin, at this stage, I'm not entirely certain I should help you titans any longer. You've destroyed the safeguards we have on the rare book repository and DESTROYED a priceless piece of literary and cultural history. I'm seriously trying to decide whether to simply sue the titans for damages or have you all arrested, or both."

"Doctor," replied Robin mildly, "the titans will make restitution for the destruction of the safeguards. We will also replace your equipment with more advanced versions."

"And the Necronomicon," replied Dr. Warren with a sarcastic voice, "Will you be replacing that as well? If so, I'd like to know how. This was the ONLY complete copy in existence. Do you often go around destroying irreplaceable works of art and learning? Maybe you should head to the Louvre, you could roast marshmallows over the Mona Lisa's ashes. I understand that the Statue of Liberty would make a lovely green pretzel. You could write your names over the Sistine Chapel ceiling, I'm sure the Pope wouldn't mind."

Robin put his hand against his temple and rubbed his forehead. Starfire's impulsiveness, although understandable, had put them in a very precarious situation. The president would be well within his rights and within the law to have them all arrested. "I don't suppose financial restitution would help?" he asked without much hope.

"MONEY? If I wanted money I'd go to our insurance company. I want that page restored! I want our collection put back in the condition it was in before you hooligans destroyed my library! What chance do you think I'll have of that?" Dr. Warren was getting angrier by the moment. "I let you kids in the library on good faith! Trusting that you would show the PROPER appreciation for works of literature. This was NOT something that I would EVER had allowed if I knew what you had planned."

"Dr. Warren," interrupted Robin, "by NO means was this planned. It just….happened." He knew how inadequate this sounded. He could see their situation sinking deeper with every passing second. At the moment, he was genuinely stumped by their predicament. Fighting criminals was one thing, property destruction during a battle could be covered by a variety of available funds. This was a deliberate destroying of a historical artifact. It couldn't be covered up.

Squaring his shoulders, Robin faced the university president. "Very well, what would you have us do? If you want us to make financial restitution, we'll do it. If you want us to replace the page, please tell us how and we will. If you want to arrest us, we'll wait quietly for the police and go without incident." During this response, both Starfire and Cyborg started, concerned with very different things, Starfire with the restoration of the page, Cyborg with being arrested. Robin motioned both of them to silence.

"Dr. Warren, we will accept anything you decide."

This caught the president off guard. Generally, he was used to young adults trying to avoid their responsibilities, shifting blame, not accepting the consequences of their actions. This was somewhat new to him.

"Uhhhh, well, I, uhhh, don't think we need to go as far as arresting you. But I do want a replacement for the university's security system."

"As you wish," responded Robin. "I can have the entire matter arranged with one phone call and, with some luck, we can have the entire system replace, and upgraded, within 48 hours."

looked somewhat surprised at that. Still, his anger was still evident. "And how about my copy of the Necronomicon? Do you intend to replace that as well?"

At that, Robin's face fell. He knew this was irreplaceable. "How would you like us to make restitution?"

The president's face fell to match the Boy Wonder's. "Look, I realize that to find a new, complete copy of the book is impossible. I would settle for a replacement for the missing page."

Carefully choosing his words, Robin replied, "In that case, Dr. Warren, perhaps you should assist us in locating Carter. I imagine he is probably the only person alive who could locate the page."

Warren's face looked even more defeated. "I'm not sure where he has gone. I know, generally where he was heading. You said he's disappeared, there's no way to know where he is now. But you are right, if anyone could track down another copy of the missing page, Carter could. He only used our resources because they were the most convenient. His sources are far greater than ours are."

While his face remained serious, internally, Robin leaped for joy. He had just extricated the titans from a very precarious situation and had enlisted a well connected man to their hunt. Unwilling to push his luck, Robin continued. "Doctor, it's late in the day, it has been stressful, to say the least. Two of our team are missing, we're all tired. I would suggest we call it a day. I'll call my contact to begin the process of replacing the system here..."

"And the broken door and broken window." Warren interrupted.

Robin looked confused. He saw the door, but what window. Cyborg filled in the missing blanks.

"Rob, BB broke through SOME window when he ran out with Raven. At least we heard glass breaking."

The leader of the titans put his face in the palm of his right hand. "Very well, add that to the tally. I'll call our contact to replace it all. Meanwhile," he continued, "I think we should retire for the moment. Would it be acceptable to you to meet tomorrow morning at 10 in your office? That way you can see the evidence of our good will and we can discuss the next steps to locate Carter."

Dr. Warren nodded his agreement and let the three remaining titans downstairs. At the front desk, he spoke to the librarian once again. "Danforth, no need to lock up the repository. The door's been smashed. Would you call school security and have them place two guards outside the room? I'm told," at this, he looked at Robin questioningly, "that repairs will begin immediately. Still, until everything IS repaired, I don't want anyone going in that room."

"Yes sir."

With that they left the building. Parting, the president said, "I will see you in my office at 10 tomorrow. I expect that actions will already be underway for repairs as per your words upstairs. If not," he warned, "I am still well within my rights to press charges." He then made his way back to the administrative building.

Before doing anything else, Robin got out his communicator. Pressing one very select button, he made a connection with Gotham. "Alfred, please be there," he whispered.

"Yes Master Richard?" the voice of the aged but hearty butler came over the communicator and his face, bearing a trace of a pleased smile, appeared on the viewer.

"Thank God! Alfred, I'm in a real mess here." Briefly, the Boy Wonder explained the situation. "Can you get someone up here to begin repair work, like, NOW?" The butler smiled again.

"Certainly, I have a number of excellent contacts in Boston, not far from your location. They've done work for us before and understand the need for reticence and speed. I can have them there within the hour. Now," he continued, "what do I get in exchange?"

Robin looked stunned, "Exchange? Uhh, what do you mean?"

"Well, Master Richard, we've not seen you for over a year. I believe that a visit to the Manor is long overdue, wouldn't you?" A guilty look passed over the teen's face.

"Has it been that long?" He had honestly forgotten.

"Yes, so, WHEN will you be visiting?" It wasn't really a request.

"As soon as this case is over, I'll be there. I hope it won't take more than a week or so."

"Very good, I EXPECT you here within two weeks. I'll notify Master Bruce. We shall see you then." With that Alfred signed off.

While Robin was speaking with his butler, Cyborg was attempting to track down the two missing titans. Knowing that Raven was the one stricken, he first tried to contact Beast Boy. Unfortunately, there was no signal, nor was there one when he tried to contact Raven. Either both had been turned off or both had been smashed. Most likely turned off. This was not a good sign. Once Robin was done with his call, Cyborg spoke.

"Bad news, Rob, I can't raise either BB or Raven on their communicators. So, either we search the area for them or we wait until they come home." He thought about it for a moment. "You probably didn't see it from your vantage, but Raven looked really shaken up in there. When I talked to Warren, he told me some of the books they've got. Didn't understand much of it except this, this is the largest collection of evil writings in the world. If a partial, torn up Necronomicon had that effect on her back home, a whole one, along with other works probably knocked her out."

Robin nodded agreement. "It makes sense. I'm sure BB is guarding her while she's weak. If they're not back in a couple of hours, we'll start searching. Meanwhile, let's go back to the T-Jet and set up camp. We can get something to eat as well."

Xxxxxxxxxxxxx

Meanwhile, regarding the titans in question, several hours had passed since Raven had lapsed into unconsciousness. With the sun sinking lower in the sky, while it was not yet dark, dusk was beginning to spread throughout the copse. Beast Boy had not moved from his position propping up Raven's head, but he had laid back and fallen asleep.

After a few hours, Raven began to stir as the strain of being exposed to the malignant effects of the various works in the rare book repository. Lifting her head up, she looked around. "_Where am I, how did I get here?"_ she thought. In the fading light, she saw what she had been laying on. _"Beast Boy, what's he doing here? What am I doing HERE?"_ She got up suddenly.

"_OK, let's not panic. The only way to find out is to wake him up. I'm not sure I want to find out. We need to find out what happened to the others. I need to find out where we are. I NEED TO FIND OUT WHY I WAS IN HIS LAP!"_ Moving over to her green compatriot, she began to shake his shoulder.

"Gme 5 mr mnts" he mumbled.

"Beast Boy, wake up." Raven said.

Hearing Raven speak woke Beast Boy up quickly. "Rae, are you all right? Can you walk?" He got to his feet, his face full of concern. This surprised the grey sorceress.

"Certainly I can walk, what happened? Why are we here? Where are we?"

Taking a deep breath, Beast Boy told the story of how he had extricated her from the library and brought her to this quiet place. "I thought this would be out of the way. I always find nature quiet and peaceful, especially when under stress. I hoped that it would help you. After you threw up, you kind of collapsed again and I wanted to keep your head up, so I put you in my lap." He blushed and mumbled, "must have fallen asleep after that."

Giving him a small smile, Raven gently said, "Thank you." The brightness from the green teen's smile could have lit up the entire forest. "Now, do you know what happened to the others?"

"No, I turned off both our communicators. Didn't want anything to disturb you after that."

"YOU TURNED THEM OFF? WHAT IF SOMETHING HAPPENED?"

"Look, it was Rob and Star. Nothing happens to Mr. Perfect and his girl," there was a great deal of bitterness in his voice at this. "Neither one of them has been affected by this book. I figured that they're ok. Besides, YOU'RE the one I was concerned about."

"Oh," Raven heard the bitterness in his voice regarding his teammates, as well as the concern in his voice regarding her. "Well, we should find out what happened to them." She opened the communicator to turn it on and then paused. "How are YOU feeling? Are you still hearing the voices and wings?"

Beast Boy hesitated for a moment, as if considering the best way to describe his situation. "I won't lie to you, I can still hear them very faintly. No wings, just murmurings in the background. I still want to spend some more time as a wolf, that seems to work the best at fighting off these influences. Probably tonight I'll sleep outside again."

"Thank you for being honest with me." Raven paused again, as if she was going to continue. Then, she opened the communicator. "Raven to Robin, come in."

After a moment, Robin's image appeared on the screen. "Robin here. Raven, are you all right? Where are you?"

"I'm fine. Beast Boy got me to a place of safety. Where are you and is everyone ok?"

Robin quickly recounted the events that had happened after the two titans had left. Even being brief, it took a few minutes. "So, we've set up camp next to the T-Jet. Get back here as soon as you can. Robin out." The communicator went black.

"Wow," remarked Raven, "I would have paid to see that. Starfire going ballistic is a rare event. Come on, we'd better get back." She turned to the changeling. He had a surly look on his face. "What's up?"

"How are you? Are you ok? Where are you? Gee, do you think it would have killed him to say 'Is Beast Boy with you? How's he?'"

At that, Raven began to realize just how deep Beast Boy's resentment of the Boy Wonder was. She also realized that Robin had not ONCE mentioned the shapeshifter. She began to get a deep foreboding regarding the situation. While the two were friends, it was becoming more and more evident that there were stresses in that friendship and that Beast Boy was no longer the hero-worshipping sidekick. But why was Robin so inattentive towards Beast Boy.

"Let's head back, we can find out the situation when we get back to the T-Jet." The two made their way slowly back to their starting point. They both walked rather than flew, as if to extend their time together, even though neither consciously realized it.

"_Maybe, Robin's jealous?" _Raven thought_, "After all, it was Beast Boy who pulled everyone out of trouble during the Brotherhood episode. Maybe, he's seeing a rival. Still, that doesn't quite seem right. And Beast Boy's never been the 'good soldier' type. Probably because of his Doom Patrol training, he didn't seem to be the 'good soldier there either." _

The more she considered it, the more she realized Beast Boy not only marched to the sound of his own drummer, he actively resented being forced into a role he didn't want. Consequently, he was the team jokester, the prankster that played counterpoint to Robin, to basically thumb his nose at authority. This led to an entirely different view of her green friend than she had previously had.

"_How much of what I know and see of him is true? I've made assumptions over the years regarding his abilities, we all have, yet, each time a situation arises, it's Beast Boy who breaks our assumptions and turns out to be more than he seems."_

Raven pondered this line of thought the entire way back to the T-Jet. Beast Boy's thoughts remained his own.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

OK, originally, I promised that the titans would head for Innsmouth this chapter. It seems like next chapter, although how this story is taking off, I refuse to promise. I have an entire scene ready when the titans reunite and it will be interesting, to say the least. Thought I would get to it this time but the interlude with BB and Rae started my creativity flowing and I'm delaying it.

I also realize that the update was slower than normal. It will continue to be slower than normal for the next month or so two. My 'busy season' at work is upon me and, quite frankly, I'm exhausted many nights when I would normally be writing. I'm sorry for the delays. Hopefully, I'll make it up in quality (haha) what is lacking in quantity.

Meanwhile, it appears that whining works (as well as the recommendations of some good friends). While not approaching earlier stories, the hits have improved. They'll never be as good (nor should be) as Force's Joker's Shadow, or any of his other stories, or Novus' Collateral Damage (WHERE IS THAT LAST CHAPTER? I CAN'T WAIT!) I'm gratified that the hits have improved on my little homage to the master.

Onward to my very generous reviewers.

Thingone – I'll always answer a question, usually in excruciating detail. This is a homage. I will be making considerable usage of Lovecraft's work. I've already said that we are heading to Innsmouth next. This is based on 'The Shadow Over Innsmouth', one of his greater works. Basically, this will be a four part story. The first arc, which we are in now, is based on the influences of the Necronomicon, one of Lovecraft's recurring themes. The second will be making considerable use of the Innsmouth story. While not putting the Titans directly in the original, there will be plenty of overlap. The final two arcs will involve two other major stories of his, one of which I will not mention, the other, I suspect, readers already have figured out, "The Call of Cthulhu." Neither will replicate the stories, but I will, ah, borrow liberally from them. Yes, it seems this story will be far longer than I originally anticipated. Melding Lovecraft and the titans, in addition to my predication for character interactions seems to be expanding the scope of the story. Like I said, I haven't even finished the FIRST arc of the four and we're up to Chapter 8.

Force Is Strong With This One – Ahhh, we'll find this missing page crop up again later (maniacal laughter in the background). For now, the hunt is on. And as for the relationship between BB and Rae, here's another taste. Believe me, the relationship will build. How can I help it, these are my two favorite characters.

Novus Ordo Seclorum – Glad, as always, that you are enjoying this. You know, I've been wondering how limiting the categorization of stories truly is. I've got some horror, some action, a great deal of suspense, later there will be romance (wow, I gave something away, big secret) and one more category that I REFUSE to mention until it happens. But then, in any story there should be elements of all. Huck Finn is GREAT and, while I deeply admire Lovecraft, Huck Finn is one of the pinnacles of American literature. Finish that definitely. Afterwards, Lovecraft awaits. As I said earlier, he is considered one of the two major American horror writers (Poe is the other). Even Stephen King (who I find uneven) gives utmost kudos to Lovecraft.

Crimson Black – Wondered what had happened to you. Glad you came back. Keep an eye on Starfire throughout the storyline. She will have THE major role in the finale and epilogue. Hey, just because BB and Rae are my favorites, that doesn't mean I can't utilize the titans to their best. Remember, Starfire is from an older, wiser race. Something to consider.

Ok, enough clues and hints. Until next time my friends, and, once again, my apologies for the delays in updating. Unfortunately, it will continue for the next month and a half.


	9. Chapter 9

I do not own anything relating to the Teen Titans.

Opening the Closet Door a Crack – Chapter 9

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Night had fallen. And with it, more's the pity, so had all of the darkness that inhabits the souls of man. Five adventurers were in the process of reuniting after a day filled with both dread and portends. The five were more aware than before of the challenges facing them. However, what had not been considered was that challenges come not just from without, but also from within. The three hags have a plan, and seldom to the benefit of the subjects; their motives are their own. Consequently, events are beginning to take shape that will determine not just the fate of the five adventurers, but the fate of the world, nay, the fate of the universe and all reality. What is to become of these five, the human, the alien, the machine, the witch and the changeling? Am that cruel? Or honest? Is there a difference? Alliances have been made and will be the focus of the coming events. Will the alliances hold? Will the five stay united?

Somewhere, one old hag continues to carefully examine five threads. And measures. And smiles.

Beast Boy and Raven made their way to the Titan's camp. It was late and it was dark. Although both had slept, it had not been a restful sleep. Instead, both had had the sleep of troubled exhaustion. The grey sorceress had been affected more than she had expected by the confluence of evil influences. The shapeshifter had been affected by his concern for his teammate (at least, that's what he told himself she was). Even though both could have arrived far quicker than they did, they walked, slowly, deliberately, together into the presence of their three friends.

Robin immediately moved over to Raven's side. "Are you ok? What happened?"

"Robin, I'm fine. It's just the overload of the eldritch influences in the library were more than I could take. Beast Boy got me out of the sphere of influence quickly enough so there was no long term effects."

"Well, that's a relief. At least there's ONE member of the team I don't have to cover for. Beast Boy, what happened?"

"What do you mean 'What happened?' Rae just told you."

"Yes, but you broke through a door and smashed a window."

"Dude, I had to get her out of there as fast as possible. If there had been a skylight, I would have gone through that."

Robin looked down at the ground, shaking his head. "Beast Boy, do you have any idea of what damage you caused?"

At that remark, the green teen exploded. "I DON'T BELIEVE YOU. I just saved Raven and you're worried about the damage to the door and window? If I heard right, Star destroyed a piece of the book as well as most of the library! I notice that you seem to be ok with that. That DOES IT. I AM SIC K OF BEING YOUR FALL GUY! Hell, you come after me for anything you feel like. Just because Star gives you a hard on, she can do no wrong."

The look of absolute hatred that came on Robin's face was startling. Moving in on Beast Boy, he took a swing at the shapeshifter's jaw. Beast Boy, however, was more than equal to the attack. At the speed of thought, he changed to a hummingbird and ducked the attack. Morphing back to human form, he retaliated by swinging his right fist at the Boy Wonder.

Robin had been trained by the Batman. A mere swing of a fist was nothing to him. He ducked with apparent ease and counterattacked with a leg sweep. Beast Boy, while not trained by the Batman, HAD been trained by the Doom Patrol. He changed into a sparrow and easily avoided the blow. In a series of rapid attacks and counterattacks, Robin and Beast Boy continued to go after one another. Strangely enough, neither one went for the kill. Each seemed determined just to land a punch on the other. However, Robin continued to avoid each of Beast Boy's attempts to hit him and Beast Boy morphed each time Robin attempted to attack him.

Remarkably, it seemed as if there was a stalemate. Neither titan seemed willing to take it to the next level. Robin only used his martial arts expertise against BB, instead of his tools and weapons, and Beast Boy never changed into an animal for an attack, only for defense.

The rapidity with which the confrontation had escalated into blows between the two stunned the other titans. Watching the two friends, none of the others had the notion to stop the fight. It almost became an exercise in observation to see the two heroes try to outmaneuver each other. After a moment, Raven came to her senses.

"Star, grab Robin and keep him away from Beast Boy. I'll take care of him." Enclosing the green teen in a black energy sphere, Raven was able to keep the changeling contained so that he couldn't morph his way out. This was difficult as the resources BB had were far more varied than most foes she had to face. Meanwhile, Starfire chose the course of expediency. She simply grabbed hold of his right ankle and lifted him into the air.

"Starfire, let me GO! I'm going to teach that lazy son of a bitch a lesson once and for all."

"Like you could you stuck up asshole. Raven, let me out so I can pound his pretty face into jelly."

The three remaining titans looked hopelessly at one another, at a loss for how to defuse the situation between the two combatants.

"Cyborg," Raven said, "Do you still have any more of that gas you used last week?"

"Yeah, let me hit BirdBoy first." With that, the cybernetic teen went over to his leader and sprayed some gas in his face. The titan leader almost instantly collapsed. From inside the energy sphere, Beast Boy laughed.

"All RIGHT Tin Man. Rae, let me out now so I can pound him. That prissy know-it-all won't know what hit him. "

Rather than accede to the shapeshifter's wishes, Raven opened a small hole in the energy sphere, just large enough for Cyborg to shoot gas into the energy sphere. Before Beast Boy was aware of what was going on, he was unconscious.

"Hmmm," remarked Raven. "The gas seems to have worked better this time."

"Well," started Cyborg, rubbing his hand over his shaved head, "I, uh, made a couple of adjustments to the formula after last week. Looks like it worked. Both should be out until morning, I hope."

"Friends, what has happened here? Why have our two friends tried to kill each other?" Starfire's face showed a considerable amount of confusion. Much of which was reflected by the other two titans.

"Star," started Cyborg, "I don't think they meant to kill each other. In fact," he paused for a moment, "they seemed determined NOT to seriously hurt each other. Rob could have done a number of moves to really hurt BB and BB could have morphed into a lion or T-rex if he really wanted to kill Rob." He paused for a moment, "In fact, it almost seemed like they were getting their frustrations with each other out."

Now Starfire looked even more confused. "What frustrations are you referring to?"

Thinking carefully, Cyborg continued, "Did you hear how each referred to the other, minus the curses, Robin thinks BB is lazy, and BB thinks he's a stuck up pretty boy."

At this point, Raven interjected, "Earlier tonight, Beast Boy referred to Robin as 'Mr. Perfect'. It struck me that he must have a great deal of resentment towards Robin."

"Small wonder, Robin gets all the attention, he's the only 'normal' one among us. He's the leader. BB has been a hero just as long as he has between the titans and the Doom Patrol. The grass stain is green and worked undercover all those years. Maybe he's tired of it."

"But friends, Robin has told me how much he regrets that he's the 'normal' one. He even said the reason he never takes off his mask is because he can, while none of us can. He does not believe it would be fair to do so."

"Still," said Raven, "it doesn't explain why Robin always has it in for Beast Boy. It almost seems as if he goes out of his way to blame him for the smallest infraction."

"Yeah, remember, each of us has either broken the law or destroyed the city at one time or another and he NEVER blamed us. Yet, when BB became the beast, Rob threatened to lock him up. That must have rankled." Cyborg paused again at this. "I wonder….."

Both girls looked at the half-robot. "Yes, friend Victor?" It was a sign of her concern as well that she used Cyborg's real name.

"Hmmm? Oh, I'm just wondering if the underlying issue isn't a leadership issue. If Rob doesn't see BB as a competitor for leader of the titans and is subconsciously undermining him?" Both girls looked stunned at this.

"Vic, why towards Beast Boy? Why not you? Wouldn't you be the next most logical choice?" Raven asked.

Cyborg looked amused, "Me? No way. I'm still learning constantly. Our feuds have always involved tactics, not strategy. No, Beast Boy is the one with experience equal to Rob. AND, to stick it further in Rob's craw, it was BB who pulled all our fat out of the fire during the Brotherhood adventure."

"I am sorry Cyborg, what do you mean regarding fire fat?" asked Starfire.

"Oh, sorry, a colloquialism. I mean that BB rescued us when all hope was gone and it upset Robin that he failed. To make matters worse, BB is the WORST kind of team player." The girls again looked confused.

"Look, my old football coach always used to focus on everyone working together and listening to his orders. The ones he HATED were the ones who pulled stunts, pranks and didn't show the proper respect. He was always looking to tag them. The worst ones were the stars who he couldn't get rid of because they were too good, but didn't take being ordered around. It really burned him. I suspect that's the same deal between Robin and Beast Boy. Robin is a major dictator, but BB does not take well to being ordered around. He showed that with the Doom Patrol. Two opposites, both of equal, if different, ability, both with different ideas of how to run things. Maybe BB just finally got tired of it."

"But, I do not understand. Are not leaders there by right? Is it not proper for Beast Boy to accept Robin as the leader?" Starfire inquired.

"How are leaders chosen on Tamaran?" asked Raven.

"Chosen? The royal family are the leaders. We are the leaders. The aristocracy are the next in command. We are raised from birth to be the leaders of our people. What other way is there? This is how it always has been."

Cyborg and Raven looked at each other. "Then," asked Cyborg, "why did you follow Robin? Why DO you follow Robin?"

"Is he not one of the rulers of the people? Everyone has always listened to him. If I understand aright, Robin's mentor, Batman, is obeyed automatically by almost all of the heroes and people of this planet. Obviously, he is one of the rulers. Therefore, Robin, as his heir, is of the ruling family."

Cyborg looked at Starfire incredulously. Obviously, leadership customs were different on other planets. "Uhh, in this country, leadership is determined by merit," replied Cyborg.

"Yes, and the rulers have the merit. They are trained from birth for leadership."

"No Star, in this country, supposedly, merit is determined by ability. No one is trained from birth for leadership. Although, usually, the rich have a leg up on everyone else. Most people are trying just to survive. The well to do have the ability to focus on other abilities, other talents." There was a trace of bitterness in his voice.

"Cy, I take it you have a problem with that." Raven said.

Cyborg sighed, "Look, even though my folks were scientists, I had enough friends and time in the ghetto so I knew how 'real' people lived. It wasn't pretty. The idea that there are 'better' people who _deserve_ their status just by existing does NOT sit well."

"But friend Cyborg, it has nothing to do with deserve. It is an obligation, a duty, a responsibility. We are to give our lives in sacrifice to our people."

"If only all the rich and powerful felt that way." Silence fell among the three.

"Could the Necronomicon have influenced the fight between Robin and Beast Boy?" asked Raven. She was finding this exploration of the team dynamics fascinating, but still needed to get down to the truth.

"I don't think so," responded Cyborg. He thought for a moment, "Maybe. That book is influencing all of us."

"Excuse me, Cyborg, I do not understand how you mean it influences us. It is evil, it must be destroyed. What is the problem? How could it be influencing us?"

Both Raven and Cyborg looked at the princess. "You mean you've had no problems with the book?" asked Cyborg.

"No, of course not. All of you keep mentioning voices and wings. When I first heard the voices I knew the source of that evil. Of course I denied them. They have not bothered me since. I cannot understand why you do not do the same."

"I guess humans, even partial humans, have a…problem…with these influences." Starfire looked stunned.

"But, how can that be? Do you not understand the consequences of listening to the Outer Gods, how demented and evil they are?"

"Getting back to our two fighters here," interrupted Cyborg, "thinking on it, there may be an influence of the Necronomicon. Both have been studying it and affected by it. Raven, you said that BB had been spending time as a wolf to counteract the book?" She nodded. "If I remember right, wolves are pack animals that determine alpha status through fighting. In fact, most pack animals determine their pecking order through combat, some sociologists believe guys and gangs operate the same way, a throwback to our animal heritage."

"Soooo," responded Raven, "Beast Boy because he's been channeling his animal instincts may be getting ready to fight Robin for leadership of the titans?"

"Could be."

"And Robin?" At that, the three fell into silence.

"Damn," said Cyborg. "Birdboy always keeps things so close. I don't know if or how he's being affected, can you?"

Both Raven and Starfire shook their heads. "I have been watching diligently for any signs of possession, but so far, nothing seems out of the ordinary." Replied Starfire.

"That doesn't mean he's not being affected," answered Raven. "That damn book is far more evil than I originally thought. And I originally thought it was worse than my father."

"Yet, he seems normal, at least as normal as Rob ever seems." Replied Cyborg.

"So what do we do?" asked Raven.

"We wait and see. And try to keep them from killing each other. And watch to see if that book has had more influences on them than we suspect." Answered Cyborg.

"How about you?" Asked Raven, "How are you holding up against the voices."

Cyborg let out a long breath. "I still hear them, it's a little fainter now that I'm trying to ignore them. Guess their effects are more pronounced if you give them attention." Rather than answer any more questions, he changed the subject, "Since, with luck, these two are out until morning, it may be a good idea to turn in." The girls nodded, as they turned away, Starfire stopped.

"One more question, friend Cyborg. Before Beast Boy and Robin began their battle, Beast Boy said something about Robin being 'hard on' for me. What does that mean?"

Cyborg blushed furiously. "I'll leave that to you Raven, you'd be better at answering it." With that he practically ran from the room. Starfire turned towards the empath.

Blushing furiously herself, Raven pulled her hood over her head, "Do you mind if I tell you later?" With that, Raven left the room herself to go to bed, leaving the princess from the stars in a state of utter confusion.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Once more, I'm delaying the departure to Innsmouth. I couldn't resist, the necessity of conflict (yes, I said necessity, wait a few more chapters) between BB and Robin is important and I thought this would reinforce it. I also wanted to add more tension between the participants. Remember, they still have the morning after.

Meanwhile, I'm thrilled that, at last, I'm over 500 hits. Hey, maybe the great writers get that per chapter (I'm looking at you, Force), but we toilers in the muck have to make due. All joking aside, I am extremely grateful to anyone currently reading my not so little tale. This is beginning to get out of hand, but I can't seem to get it back under control. I know where the key moments in the story will be, but the incidental scenes seem to be taking over.

As always, my thanks to my reviewers. I know I said it would take longer than normal to update, but I was inspired and I have a VERY forgiving wife.

TheForceIsStrongWithThisOne – Thank you, you picked up completely on the overriding theme of the story, the infancy of man and his self-centeredness. As I mentioned in my last notes, and referenced here in this chapter, the older races do not suffer the same immaturity. By the by, you and the other reviewers all made the same error. I checked my notes for Chapter 8. Not once did I call the president of Miskatonic University as Dr. Carter, but by his name Dr. Warren. Yet, all three of you are referring to Dr. Carter. Carter is the one who's missing. I find it curious that all three of you made the same error. I'm pretty sure I didn't goof (although there are no certainties.)

Novus Ordo Seclorum – I always wondered myself why no one threatened (honestly) the titans when they caused mayhem. Here, we have the real destruction of a literary artifact. OF COURSE someone in the 'real' world would complain. The 'tensions' between Raven and BB will continue throughout the story. And get deeper, and more passionate (hope I can keep this at 'T', I'm afraid I may have overstepped the rating scale with some of the references in this chapter. I couldn't resist, that's how 'real' teens would probably react.) 17,000 words? Now I really can't wait.

Thingone – As you can see in this chapter, there are many factors that have gone into the cause of this friction. And, not giving anything away, it will only get worse. As you can see, there are legitimate reasons, all, ah, encouraged, by the malign influence of the Necronomicon. And there will be other outside factors influencing the titans besides the book. And I'm NOT referring to the three hags, who will continue to make periodic appearances.

Until next time my friends, sleep well.


	10. Chapter 10

I do not own anything relating to the Teen Titans.

Opening the Closet Door a Crack – Chapter 10

Xxxxxxxxxx

The next morning, Raven, Starfire and Cyborg each left their tents to reenter the main tent where the titans assembled most mornings when they were traveling. It was generally large enough for them to meet if it rained or snowed. The cooking was generally done outside. However, they had some refrigeration in the main tent and, most importantly, a coffee maker. Being that this is where they left their two compatriots the previous night, their hope was that they were still asleep. Their fear was that they had woken up and were resuming their fight. What greeted them was something in the middle.

Robin and Beast Boy were both awake, the gas having worn off. Both were sitting at the table eating. Both were sullen. Both were pointedly ignoring each other. This did not bode well.

Cyborg motioned Starfire to silence before she began her normal morning greetings. "Uhh, morning guys."

"Morning," both mumbled. Silence descended again.

"Ok, anyone want to discuss last night?" he continued.

Both shook their heads.

Starfire could contain herself no longer. "I am most sorry that you both hate each other now." The look of sadness on her face was heart wrenching.

"I don't hate him." Both said simultaneously, then turned to glare at each other.

"Well, last night it seemed as if you were trying to kill each other."

"If I wanted him dead, he would be." Again both said this at the exact same moment. At this, both rose and started what appeared to be a rather deadly glaring contest at each other, looking to see which one would back down.

"I do have a question for you Robin. Beast Boy said you have a 'hard on' for me. Neither friend Cyborg nor friend Raven would answer my question last night and you have always helped me understand human behavior. What does this mean?"

At that, both teens visibly deflated. Robin turned a bright red and Beast Boy hunched his shoulders in embarrassment.

Under his breath, Robin muttered to Beast Boy, "I am SO going to kill you."

"Dude," also under his breath, "would it help if I said I'm sorry about that?"

"No."

"Didn't think so." Speaking in a normal voice, Beast Boy said, "Hey, Starfire, you know, we've got to meet with Dr. Warren at 10, shouldn't we start getting ready?"

"Beast Boy, we have well over two hours before our meeting with Dr. Warren. Do NOT think to distract me with such an obvious request. I want to KNOW what you meant last night."

To Robin, again under his breath, "Well, I tried."

You could practically see the sweat pouring off of the two boys. Raven looked at them with a combination of enjoyment and embarrassment. She turned to face Cyborg, expecting to see a grin at the predicament their teammates had been backed into. Instead, he looked almost as nervous as they were. She decided to use her empathy to see what was going on. The three boys were mortified. It was apparent that they would prefer ANYTHING to explaining this to their naïve teammate. Robin was actually stuttering as he tried, somehow, to even begin explaining this.

"Oh for Azar's sake! Starfire, I said I would tell you in the morning. Why don't we go to your tent so I can explain it in private." She then turned to the two boys. "You two owe me BIG for this." The gratitude that extended to each of the teenagers' faces at Raven's offer was remarkable. If they could have they would have been groveling thanks on their knees. Raven took Starfire outside and they made their way to the princess's tent.

Beast Boy turned to his team leader. "How fast do you think we can clean up, change and get out of here before they come back?" Robin looked at the changeling.

"Not fast enough."

"Still worth a try," he replied. At that Robin and Beast Boy looked at each other and broke for the door, running for their respective tents.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxx

Remarkably, either the two teens were far faster than they had anticipated, or the explanation took longer than expected, the five teens did not meet again until they were on their way to meet with Dr. Warren. Cyborg looked comparatively normal, although still a bit uneasy; Robin and Beast Boy were hesitant, furtively looking around as if waiting for disaster to strike. Raven was looking daggers at Beast Boy, with her usual anger at being roped into a situation that she did NOT want to be involved in.

Of all people, Starfire seemed the most complacent regarding the situation. Once again, she was flabbergasted by the rather bizarre taboos and restrictions that humans put on perfectly ordinary functions and relationships between people. What was the problem? The mystique and convoluted boundaries that humans put on basic functions was puzzling, to say the least. If she lived to be ten thousand bumfords, she would never understand it. So, as she usually did, she put it aside until later, when she could discuss it in private with the people she wanted. Or waited until events revealed themselves in such a way that it made reasonable sense (admittedly, given human behavior, something that was few and far between).

So, the five made their way towards the administrative building. During their comparatively short walk, they passed by the library. There were several trucks outside the building, many with signs for security work. Silently to himself, Robin thought, 'thank you Alfred'.

Promptly at 10, the titans presented themselves to the secretary to Dr. Warren and announced themselves. As, this time, the secretary had been alerted to the appointment, there was no delay in ushering them into the president's office. As with the previous day, Dr. Warren was seated behind his desk. Unlike the previous day, however, a great deal of the warmth had evaporated. While he did not look particularly pleased to see them, at least he did not appear ready to have them arrested.

Before any of the titans could start, he said, "First off, I'm relieved to see that repair work on the library has begun. I stopped by on the way to the office and it seems that much of the damage has already been corrected. Right now, upgrades to the electrical system are being put in for what appears to be a significant upgrade in the security and preservation system of the library. In speaking with the foreman, all of the repairs and upgrades will be completed by mid-afternoon. So, thank you for that."

"However, that does not address the destruction of the Necronomicon page."

At that Robin spoke up. "As we discussed yesterday, I believe that if we were to track down Dr. Carter, he would be the most likely candidate to be able to locate a copy of the page. As you said, it would be for the most part impossible to find a copy of the entire book as a replacement."

"To that end, we plan to continue our search for Dr. Carter. From what I understand, his next move after visiting the library was to investigate Innsmouth. Yesterday when we mentioned that name, you seemed concerned."

"Innsmouth," Dr. Warren began, "Innsmouth….Innsmouth has a very odd, unsavory reputation. The town is largely deserted now, probably no more than a hundred residents. At one point, roughly two hundred years ago, it was a good sized port, almost a city. But, some strange things happened there and back in the 1920s, during the time of Prohibition, the US government went in and cleaned out the entire area. Claimed they were looking for rumrunners. However, they also torpedoed the nearby reef, Devil's Reef, or so the rumor goes. The feds never did fully explain what they were doing and still won't release info on the matter. The area residents have their own opinions. "

"If Carter was going there, well, he must have suspected something. Most folks won't even talk about Innsmouth, let alone go there."

"Is there anything you would be willing to tell us?" inquired Raven.

Dr. Warren hesitated again. The silence dragged on as the president considered the request. Finally, he appeared to come to a decision. "Look, I'm a local boy, born and raised in Dunwich. You DON'T talk about Innsmouth." More quietly, he continued, "in fact, there are many things we don't talk about."

"Still, I can give you some of the basics. The town, as I said, was a significant port for a time. Round 1840 or so, the marshes and bogs became so thick that the town became practically sealed off. Always plenty of fish around the port and, for a time, the town was largely dependent on Marsh Refining Company for its economy. They produced a number of gold jewelry and industrial gold. No one knew, exactly, where the gold came from. The major town figure was Captain Obed Marsh, a sea captain around 1840 when the town withdrew into itself. He started the refining company after he gave up actual captaining. He was actually powerful enough to get an extension to the rail line into the town. Still, the town declined. The rail fell into disuse, the new line never went through. Even now, there's no direct interstate nearby, just a few county roads. The people are reclusive, don't even leave the town much. Occasionally, you see one of the younger people leave, but not often. The townspeople have a 'look' about them. And I think that's all I'll say on the matter."

Robin started to question the doctor further, but he interrupted, "No. Titans, this isn't the big city, this isn't even small town America. This is the Miskatonic Valley, one of the oldest regions of the country. There are secrets here that people don't talk about, even among themselves. I've probably revealed more today than you could get in a year questioning hundreds of people."

"Now, I think it's time you left." The five teens made their farewells and turned to go. Before they left, Warren said, "Remember, titans, there are secrets and mysteries here in this area that have remained buried for hundreds of years. There's a good reason why they remain buried."

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The titans silently made their way back to camp considering the parting words that Dr. Warren had made. Packing up their tents and supplies, they placed everything aboard the T-Jet and lifted off for the short flight to Innsmouth. As the town was only a few miles away, it would not take long.

Leaving the comparatively upscale Miskatonic University campus and bucolic Arkham, the titans flew over various forests and farms. Crossing the Miskatonic River, the T-Jet made its way towards the ocean. As they did so, the scenery began to change. Farms began to disappear, the forests began to thin out and were replaced by bogs and marshes. There were roads to follow, but they looked half abandoned, unkempt. Potholes were numerous and at one point, large sections had been washed away by the marshes. As the jet made its way cautiously towards the shoreline, a town appeared. At least, something that resembled a town.

It was more a large collection of dilapidated buildings. On the outskirts, many were in ruin. These were smaller buildings, homesteads. Many had boarded up windows. Some simply had fallen into disrepair. As the titans neared the center of town, the buildings were larger, at one time richer. None the less, these too were largely in ruins. Nothing appeared to be well kept, nothing appeared to be inhabited. There were no signs of life anywhere.

The T-Jet circled the town once to scout out the area and look for a place to land that was close to the center of the village. Surprisingly, even after a sweep around the area, no one came out. It can't have been that the sight of an ultramodern jet was so familiar that it aroused no interest. Yet, there were no people out to see what was making the noise.

"Man," exclaimed Cyborg, "where IS everyone? I don't see any signs of life anywhere."

"Cyborg," ordered Robin, "check for heat patterns, maybe we can determine where everyone is." Cyborg looked at his screen.

"There ARE people down there, a few here, a few there. Couple of things seem odd, but they're there."

"Robin," interrupted Raven, "there's a clearing over to the west, a short distance from the town center. Looks like a good place to land without disturbing anything."

"What's to disturb?" piped up Beast Boy, "The wreckage? Looks like a good sneeze will bring the whole town down. Dudes, this is one depressing place. Can't imagine why ANYONE would even come here, let alone live here. You sure Carter was coming here?"

"That's what his notes said," answered Robin. "He wrote that there was an unusual cult located here, the Esoteric Order of Dagon, that he wanted to investigate."

The titans made their way to the clearing that Raven had spotted and landed the ship. While they were going through the landing procedures, Robin laid out the plan of action.

"OK team, this is a simple investigation. First we'll head for the hotel that Carter was staying at to see if there are any clues remaining. Afterwards, we make our way to the Esoteric Order of Dagon and see if we can pick up any idea of where he may have gone."

Powering down the T-Jet, the titans opened the hatches to their compartments.

"Uggghhh, MAN! What a smell!" exclaimed Cyborg. "That's going to put me off of my lunch."

"What is that aroma?" asked Starfire.

"Fish," replied Robin, "This is a port and Dr. Warren said that the area was heavy with fish. Most port towns tend to smell this way. Not quite as strong though."

"No." responded Beast Boy. The other titans looked at him. He looked faintly sick to his stomach. After a few more seconds, he looked more ill. You couldn't tell how sick because he was always green. This time however, it became obvious. The changeling ran over behind the T-Jet and was rather noisily ill. The other titans looked at one another. Beast Boy's senses were quite a bit more enhanced than the rest of them. Something was disturbing him. Raven hurried over to where he was. The teen was starting to get back to his feet from being on his hands and knees. She put his arm around his shoulder and helped him back over to the others.

"No," he repeated. "It's not fish, well, at least it's not entirely fish. There is a strong fish presence here. Cod mostly, but a good deal of bluefish and bass. But, there's something else here too. Something foul." He practically spit that last word out in disgust. "There's something…unnatural, blasphemous here."

"I didn't even know you knew the word blasphemous," a stunned Raven replied, "even so, that's a strange word for you to use, considering I'm a half-demon."

"Naw, your scent is normal, natural. This is….I can't come up with a word bad enough for it. No wonder there are no animals here, nothing would put up with this."

"What do you mean there are no animals here, green bean?" asked Cyborg.

Beast Boy looked at him in amazement. "Can't you tell rustbucket? There's no noise, no normal animal sounds. I can't hear ANYTHING around us. I can't even smell anything underneath that, well, for lack of a better word, _fish_ smell."

The titans all paused. After a moment or so, Robin responded, "He's right, I can't hear anything. Even in a normal environment, you hear birds, small animals, something."

"Dude, NOTHING will live here."

"Friend Beast Boy, will you be able to accompany us on our investigation? It would be most upsetting if you were not able to join us."

"Yeah Star, I'll be able to go. Just need a second or two to get used to the smell. Maybe a year or two actually. Actually, I'll never get used to the smell. Still, you won't get rid of me that easily." He said with his trademark grin.

Locking up the T-Jet, the titans made their way to the center of town. It did not look any more appealing from ground level than it did from the air. In fact, it looked considerably worse. You could see the evidence of decay and decrepitude everywhere. Nothing had been kept up. Windows had been boarded up, mostly on the second floors of buildings. What few sidewalks existed were broken. Most of the street was not even paved, just dirt.

"Man, how do these people live? No pizzeria, no burger place, no video store. Come to think of it, I don't see anything other than that one grocery store down the road there." Said Cyborg.

"I'm not interested in pizza for the moment," answered Robin. "Let's head over to the hotel there and see what they can tell us about Carter."

The titans made their way to the hotel. It was a large building, not quite as dilapidated as the other buildings, but still obviously not well kept up. There were five floors, although most of the upper stories had their windows boarded up. The front windows were dirty, not having been cleaned in decades. The porch was bare of furniture. The paint had peeled years ago. There was only a single light bulb to illuminate the front after dark. If you were not certain that it was open for business due to the small vacancy sign in the dirty window, you might think the building as abandoned as the rest of the town.

The titans went into the Gilmore House.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Well, I warned you that updates would be more sporadic as I'm currently in my busy season. Still, at least I got them to Innsmouth. I seem to be having trouble with my e-mail connection with FanFiction. For some reason, I'm not getting messages from them, so I apologize if I've not responded. My thanks to my readers, as always, for their attention and interest.

And as always, my eternal thanks to my reviewers.

Thingone – Well, remember, it's the other titans that are suspecting the leadership issue. That doesn't necessarily mean that's where I'm going (oooooh, wasn't that sneaky). Still, you are quite correct, there is, and should be given their comparative histories, a bit of resentment between the two.

Downward Spiral 1 – I acknowledge, it IS slow to build, as is most of Lovecraft's longer works. Each of the four arcs will build upon each other and the pace will increase. This second arc will be a little different as there are a number of clues necessary in order to get to the third arc (where the action really starts).

TheForceIsStrongWithThisOne – THANK YOU. You recognize that there was more posturing between the two than actual fighting. Remember, these two are still friends. They don't really want to hurt each other (much).

Soulseekerthe13th – All Right, a fellow Lovecraftian. Yeah, I took some liberties. Did you notice that I had one of the volumes in Princeton? It's actually in Harvard, but that's too close to Arkham and I wanted them to go right to Miskatonic. Hadn't thought of the Norms, I was aiming for the Fates. Still many scholars believe that the Norse Norms were heavily influenced by the Greek concept of the fates. And I'm not done with them.

Novus Ordo Seclorum – Hah, I really enjoyed that myself. The followup is here (which I also really enjoyed). Just because there is horror here doesn't mean I can't put in some comic relief. Glad you enjoyed it.

Crimson Black – Glad you are enjoying this as well. As I said in the beginning, each Titan will have a key part to play in the storyline. But you have hit on WHY Starfire will be the final key.

Until next time my friends, sleep well.


	11. Chapter 11

I do not own anything relating to the Teen Titans.

Opening the Closet Door a Crack – Chapter 11

Xxxxxxxxxx

Walking through the old, battered wooden doors to the Gilman House, the titans stood in an extremely shabby room. The lobbies of most old hotels still showed the signs of the grandeur that was once there. This did not. It was obvious that at most a desultory attempt at cleanliness was evident, and had failed. There was dirt everywhere. No trash, just the accumulated debris of decades of disinterest. As with the rest of the town, the paint had peeled on the walls to such an extent that it no longer showed anything other than bare wood. The floor was covered by a threadbare carpet, the wood showing through many places. There was mold on the ceiling.

"Charming place," Raven said in her normal monotone. The titans began to walk towards the front desk. Actually, four titans began the 20 foot walk to the desk. One stood at the doorway, in the same stiffened position he had assumed since entering the room.

"Robin," Beast Boy whispered, "ROBIN!" he said again in a louder whisper that carried to the Boy Wonder. Robin turned around to face his teammate.

The shapeshifter was standing in a ramrod position at the door, staring past his four friends to the figure at the front desk. His lips were fixed into a snarl. Pure hatred shown in his eyes. Robin moved back towards the door, the other three following him.

"What's wrong, BB?"

Not taking his eyes off the figure behind the desk, the green teen said, "That….thing….is one of the town folk. Don't trust him, don't believe anything he says, he's…wrong, unnatural." Robin looked at his teammate curiously. This was highly unusual behavior by a teammate who was usually unusual.

"OK Beast Boy, why don't we just move over towards the desk." He put his hand on the changeling's arm and they moved back towards the desk. Within three steps, Beast Boy began growling, by five steps, you could actually see the hair on the back of his head rising into an attack position.

The titans stopped again. "Maybe you should wait outside." Robin said. After a moment of hesitation, Beast Boy nodded once and made his way towards the door. Robin, Cyborg and Starfire all turned to look at Raven.

"What?" They all continued to look expectantly at her.

"Wait a minute, why do I always have to watch him? Can't one of you do it?" All three raised their eyebrows.

"Oh all right," Raven snarled. She turned to stomp out of the lobby, "There are times I really hate that obnoxious green twerp." If she had looked behind her, she would have seen Starfire with a happy smile on her face, Cyborg with a smirk, and Robin with a very knowing smile. They turned to resume the short trek to the front desk.

Although Robin had his detective abilities, Cyborg his computer memory and Starfire her experience throughout the galaxy, the figure behind the desk was decidedly…odd.

For one thing, although the lobby was not particularly large, and therefore he could hear everything, the individual behind the desk showed no sign of interest in the interactions of the teens. He was a rather pasty grayish color. Whereas Raven was gray, but obviously in the best of health, this was a sickly gray, almost a greenish grey. His head appeared smaller than the norm, with a flattened, disappearing nose, a broad forehead, flattened, almost non-existent ears. Although comparatively thin, his neck had folds of skin that gave the impression of crevices. There was not a great deal of hair on his head. His hands were large, yet the fingers were small and curled up. His skin appeared as if he were suffering some degenerative disease. In truth, he was really a rather repulsive character.

But his eyes, his eyes were the most unnerving aspect of his appearance. They were large and bulging. Disinterested in what was occurring, he stared at the three figures before him. He never seemed to blink.

"_Man, I see now what Doc Warren was talking about,"_ thought Cyborg, _"these people really do have a look about them. Creepy, to say the least."_

Without any apparent qualms, Robin began speaking to the man. "Good afternoon. I'm Robin of the Teen Titans. May I ask you a few questions?"

The man continued to stare at the heroes.

"Umm, yes. Well, we're looking for Dr. Randolph Carter. We've been told he stayed here several weeks ago."

The man continued to stare at them without blinking. After a moment or so, he responded in a guttural voice, "Gone." After saying his one word, he was silent again. The quiet became pronounced.

"Uh, would you know where he's gone? Did he leave a forwarding address?" the Boy Wonder continued to pursue the conversation. The longer he looked at the man behind the desk, the more uncomfortable he felt. There was an almost visceral distaste rising in him regarding the man. Looking at Cyborg, he could see the bionic teen fidgeting uncomfortably as he observed the clerk.

After another moment, the man replied in a croak, "No." Silence fell again. The atmosphere between the titans and the desk clerk became oppressive. He continued to stare unblinking at the teens. Robin tried again.

"In that case, would it be possible to look at the room Dr. Carter stayed in? To see if he left anything?"

Again a long, unblinking pause, "Cleaned." The silence dropped down again on the conversation, the weight of which was almost enough to collapse what was left of the building. The three titans looked at one another. This wasn't an interrogation, it was speaking to a brick wall. How could you get information from someone who spoke one word at a time? And said nothing.

Cyborg tried this time, "In that case, would you have any rooms that we could stay in?"

"No."

The obvious falsehood was not surprising. In fact, if he had said yes, the three would have probably dropped in a faint. As it was, the oppressiveness of the building, the strangeness of the clerk was such that the Titans would have probably stayed anywhere else in the world rather than in the Gilman House.

Robin gave it one last try. "We'd like to look around the town, you know, sightsee. Would you have any maps of the town or suggestions where we could go?"

Unblinking, the man stared with his bulging eyes at the boy wonder. As the moments accumulated, even Robin began to stir uncomfortably beneath that strange gaze. Then the man turned his head sideways and in the same emotionless croaking voice said, "Out." Having said this final word, the man simply stared at the titans with his large, protruding, bulbous eyes.

The three heroes shifted uncomfortably, looking at each other. The longer they were in the presence of this odd silent man, the more oppressive the atmosphere became. Finally, at a loss for what to ask or what to do, Robin turned away and walked towards the lobby door. The other two turned and followed him. As he reached the door, the boy detective turned once more to the clerk and observed him. He had not moved, not an inch, not even straightened his head. He continued to stare at the teens as they looked at him from the door.

And still, he didn't blink.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

As Raven stomped out the lobby door onto the expansive, if decrepit, porch of the Gilman House, she met with a sight that stunned her into immobility.

Beast Boy was sitting cross legged on the ground in front of the hotel, unmoving, eyes closed, breathing deeply.

After a moment, the grey sorceress found her voice, "What are you doing?"

"Meditating."

The answer stunned her again into silence. Gathering her thoughts, she asked the first question that came to her mind.

"Why?"

"Well, it works to calm you down when you're upset, so I'd thought I'd try it."

"Why don't you do what you normally do? What DO you normally do?"

Beast Boy opened his eyes and looked at his teammate, a sad sigh escaped his lips. "Normally, I change into a bird and fly. Usually a falcon or hawk, the speed, the freedom in the air relaxes me. Nothing can fly like them. Even eagles, they don't have the same mobility. But a hawk…." His voice trailed away.

"So why don't you morph?"

"I can't."

At this, Raven became alarmed. Was something wrong with the shapeshifter? Had his powers abandoned him in this desolate town? "Why can't you change? Has something affected your powers?"

Beast Boy looked at Raven, he gave a small smile at the concern in her voice. "No, nothing like what you think. Most animals have a far more enhanced sense of smell. Mine is better than the average human and the scent of this town is horrible. If I were to change into an animal, I might run wild, probably out of town to get away from the stench. I don't want to abandon you to whatever is here."

Raven sat down on the ground next to the changeling. "What DO you smell?"

He closed his eyes again and breathed deeply. "Fish, and something unnatural, that guy inside reeks of it and he's only one of the people here. And there's something else underneath it all….something….." He inhaled again and concentrated.

Suddenly, he stood up at full attention, all senses alert. "BLOOD! It's blood I smell. Human, old, but an underlying scent." He looked around completely focused, "It seems to be coming from the ocean."

Raven rose to stand next to her friend. "How old?"

"Very, nothing recent that I can tell. I'm just getting the faintest trace, so I can't really get a good idea."

She lowered her head and thought, "There's a spell I can try. It will let me focus on the source of the blood, what happened. If it's something dangerous, maybe I can get a better feel for it." She got back down on the ground and, assuming her normal lotus position, began to chant, first her mantra, then the spell. The words made no sense to the green teen. He continued to watch the violet haired girl as she explored the mysteries of this strange town. As was typical, her body slowly began to rise above the ground as she gathered her powers.

All at once, she fell to the ground, her eyes wide open in horror, "MONSTROUS!" She began to shake. Beast Boy immediate went to her side and wrapped his arms around her. The shaking continued.

"Raven, what happened? What is it?"

"Human sacrifice. Dozens, Hundreds. The very rocks of Devil's Reef cry out from the spilling of blood. It's old, decades old, most of it. But," she paused, "some seems more recent."

Feeling rather sick, Beast Boy asked, "How recent?"

Thinking back to the revelations from her spell, she replied, "nothing sooner than a few years ago. There's so much blood infused in the reef that I can't really tell. Oh Azar!" With that, Raven pulled her hood over her head and began to chant her mantra again. This time to calm her emotions. As she meditated, Beast Boy kept guard.

The three remaining titans exited the hotel. Standing on the porch, they looked at the pair.

"Correct me if I'm wrong," started Cyborg, "but didn't Raven go out to watch him, not the other way round?" The other two nodded.

"Beast Boy," inquired Robin, "what's going on?"

The shapeshifter began his explanation. "Well, I finally figured out one of the scents underneath the fish smell it was human blood old blood then Raven went trancelike to see if she could figure out more and found out that these dudes did human sacrifice years and years ago although it seems like some of it was more recent than that then she had to meditate cause the spell upset her and then you came out." This was said without taking a breath.

The three titans stared at the changeling as their brains processed this stream of consciousness explanation. As each one caught up, the same phrase stuck in the minds of each, although both Robin and Cyborg both looked pale at the thought, it was Starfire who asked the question.

"Friend Beast Boy, what do you mean by human sacrifice? Are not most humans willing to sacrifice themselves at need if the cause is noble?"

"Ummm, Star, that's not exactly what human sacrifice means," he replied.

"I am sorry, I do not understand. Then what do you mean by human sacrifice?"

The three boys looked uncomfortable at this dark aspect of man's behavior. Raven continued to mediate, oblivious to the conversation. Cyborg tried to explain.

"Star, human sacrifice is when other people sacrifice humans."

"You mean when warriors are sent into battle expecting to die. That is only done out of necessity to gain an advantage for some other strategic goal. This is expected in war."

The titans began to look even more upset. This time, it was Robin who tried to explain.

"No Star, this is when religious leaders capture innocent people and kill them for their gods."

Starfire looked confused at the concept, "But, X'hal only asks that we are willing to sacrifice ourselves, not the innocent. In all of civilized space, no god requires the captured innocent. Even the Psions," she said the name with distaste, "do not kill in the name of their god, only in the name of science and experimentation. What kind of god requires the innocent….." She stopped speaking and her eyes grew wide.

"The Outer Gods, Great Cthulu." She whispered, "YOUHUMANS WORSHIP THE OUTER GODS!" The warrior from the stars raised her arms and gathered her starbolt energies around her. "YOU SHOULD NOT BE EVACUATED! YOU SHOULD BE EXTERMINATED! I BELIEVED YOU WERE KIND AND COMPASSIONATE!"

"STAR, STAR!" screamed Robin, "This is only a very small part of mankind. Almost all other people worship kind, loving and just gods. We find this just as abhorrent as you. The government attacked and killed these people almost a hundred years ago because of this very thing." Robin was thinking fast and putting the pieces together. "No civilized human accepts this. We find this the most horrible of actions."

Starfire lowered her arms. The starbolt energies began to dissipate. "Is this true?" she asked. She sounded very uncertain.

"Star," interrupted Beast Boy, "I don't even think these…things…are human. They don't smell fully human. They're unnatural. Please, don't judge the rest of us by these monstrosities."

The princess calmed down, "Very well, let us continue to explore this matter. But Robin," at this she turned to the Boy Wonder, "with each passing day I am regretting more and more my decision to not contact the Grand Council regarding the fate of this planet. With each revelation regarding this search, it seems that Great Cthulu is closer and closer than you have said. Time is running out." With that, Starfire turned towards Raven and nudged her, "Raven, it is time to go."

The mistress of magic came out of her trance with a start, "Starfire, where are we going?" At that, all of the teens turned to Robin.

"Since the Gilman House was a bust, let's see if we can track down the Esoteric Order of Dagon."

"Any idea where to look?" queried Cyborg.

"Well, we could split up and search the town."

In one voice, the four titans shouted "NO!"

Hunching his shoulders and replying in a small voice, Robin answered, "It was just an idea."

"A bad one. There is NO way I'm going off by myself in this town. It is WAY too creepy." Cyborg responded.

"So which way do we go?" asked Raven.

Beast Boy moved towards the town square. "Eeny, meeny, miney, MOE!" He pointed towards a street. "That way." The five titans, not having any better ideas, began to move towards a street that bore the name New Church Green. Walking slowly down toward the large street, the silence enveloped the heroes as they made their way to their destination.

Mankind does not appreciate silence. For the most part, they seek to fill the silence with noise. If you observe the young of the species, they are always making noise and, during those brief periods of quiet, grow nervous. Since mankind is a young species, it also behaves in this manner. This is why they fill their atmosphere with sounds, entertainment, distractions. Music, talk, anything to avoid the silence that exists or might exist. Even the titans behave this way. The most obvious example is Beast Boy. As with the rest of nature, during peaceful times, there is noise, breathing, singing, the regular signs of activity. It's a sign that life is good, safe. When Beast Boy is quiet, the other titans become nervous, waiting for the hyperactive teen to pull one of his notorious pranks. Without realizing it, the titans understood what all nature knew and mankind refused to acknowledge.

Silence was a warning.

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Hopefully, the counter was out again as the story went several days without a hit. Still, I'm happy at the general response to my little tale. By the way, I figured out why I was getting no notices from FanFiction. Somehow, all of my alert settings were turned off. I didn't touch them, but something turned them off. Oh well. My thanks to my readers.

And of course, My thanks to my reviewers and friends (they are the same).

Downward Spiral 1 – Always remember about Starfire (actually it's good advice regardless), other races taboos and habits are not ours. I will be exploring Tamaranean ideas intermittedly throughout the story.

TheForceIsStrongWithThisOne – Hey, I'm still a faithful follower. I'm REALLY waiting for Joker's Shadow to continue and enjoying your new story. Meanwhile, regarding Beast Boy and evil. It's not that BB can smell evil. He can smell what isn't natural. Is that evil? In this case, you can see from this chapter some of the history of Innsmouth. I would say yes, the town is evil.

Novus Ordo Seclorum – Personally, I LOVED embarrassing the hell out of the two titans. As for Innsmouth, there are many secrets here still to be revealed. The titans have only scratched the surface of this disturbing town.

Crimson Black – Innsmouth was the creation of HP Lovecraft. Everything I mention in the story is based on something he has written. I would never stoop to taking credit. Gilman House, Innsmouth, the description of the residents, Devil's Reef and New Church Green (and the Esoteric Order of Dagon) are all from Lovecraft's work. They are also all entirely fictitious. Hopefully, the description of ONE of the residents of the town peeks your curiosity regarding the rest of this town.

SoulSeekerthe13th – Nice ideas. I have a few others. Wait 'til you get to the Esoteric Order of Dagon.

A short chapter, but, time is short for me as well. I spent all evening on much of this chapter and it's still short. Oh well, until next time, good night my friends, sleep well.


	12. Chapter 12

I do not own anything relating to the Teen Titans.

Opening the Closet Door a Crack – Chapter 12

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Leaving the town square, the five adventurers made their way slowly down New Church Green. They walked slowly, carefully. Even those titans who normally flew, Starfire and Raven, stayed on the ground. There was something about the atmosphere of the town that encouraged them to stay close. For the four humans, or part humans, it was the instinctive reaction of humans to huddle together in the face of the unknown. Even though these heroes had faced many dangers, both together and alone, there was something about this town that triggered the instinctive herding mechanism.

As for Starfire, she stayed with her friends, duty, loyalty and honor, the hallmarks of a warrior race demanded it. Even conflicted between them and her greater duty to the universe, until her conflict was resolved, she would stay by the side of her friends.

And so they walked. Innsmouth was an old town, an old New England town. The streets were narrow, winding. It was not encouraging to see building after building either boarded up or fallen down, or some combination of the two.

Periodically, Beast Boy would pause and stare at a house, alerted by his animal senses of something alien hidden within. The others would stop as well and watch the drama being played out on the green teen's face. A snarl would appear and he would crouch slightly, as if he were getting ready to attack. Then, he would master these instincts and a stony look would come across his face and he would resume their exploration.

No one suggested they enter any of these buildings that Beast Boy paused in front of.

In fact, no one said anything much. There was no normal banter, no bickering. Something about this mysterious town, this derelict, oppressive font of alien unnaturalness hindered speech. Even Raven, not normally prone to speech regardless, found the atmosphere unnerving, despite her half-demon blood. There was something here older, more malignant than the demons she was kin with.

And so they walked.

As could be deduced from the name of the street, as was typical of many northeastern towns, there were a number of churches located on the boulevard. Actually, there were a number of abandoned churches, the Methodist church, the Episcopalian church, the Congregational church, the Lutheran church, all fallen into disrepair and abandonment. As they continued down the road, they passed other streets, typical of the region, Washington Street, Adams Street, Paine Street. Even though it was the mid-afternoon, these side streets were dark with no evident signs of life.

Before them, on the left side of the road, loomed a large building. It was not a church, per se. But it did have an institutional look. There were stone pillars in the front of it, a rather large entrance and an ornate façade facing the street. It had been kept in better care than the surrounding structures.

On the top of the pillars was a large granite roof, on it a variety of signs and words, symbols of the Masonic lodge that was once housed here. Over the door, however was another sign, in wood, faded but still legible, "The Esoteric Order of Dagon".

The five titans stared at the building for a moment, then Robin said," Guess Moe was right. Let's go in and look around."

Walking up the steps to the front doors, Robin reached for the doorknob and opened the door. Expecting a creaking sound, he was surprised to hear the door swing open smoothly and silently. Obviously, this edifice was maintained and appeared to be regularly used. The front vestibule was empty, just four walls, no decorations, no tables, no chairs. There were no bulletin boards with notices of upcoming events, nothing. Just four bare walls. The room was small, simply an entranceway to the larger room beyond. The titans looked at one another. Onward.

The next door was sealed tightly. There was stripping around the edges to create, if not an air tight seal, at least as close to one as was practical. It was unlocked also. As Robin silently opened this door, Beast Boy winced and closed his eyes from the smell that wafted from the chamber within. The others looked silently at him, questioning. He nodded; he would be able to enter, but it would take a considerable amount of self-control not to start growling. This was no time for his animal senses to override his human ones.

Entering the room, the first thing noticeable was it was extremely dim. There were no windows to the outside, no electric lights. The room was lit by a series of candles at strategic places along the wall. The walls themselves were dark, painted in swirling shades of green and blue. Not bright shades, but somber, dark shades. The floor had been painted black. The ceiling was the same swirling blue and green, almost resembling waves. Interspersed along both side walls were a number of black drapes, presumably to hide closets and doors.

From what could be seen, the room itself was quite large, the dimness and the wall shading masked its true size. There was no furniture in the room, again, no chairs, no benches, nothing.

Well, not precisely, near the back wall was what looked like a stone alter. Moving silently towards the back of the room, the alter came into better view.

It wasn't exactly an alter, it looked more like a granite sarcophagus, a large one. Roughly five by twelve, and three feet in height, it looked old. There were stains on it that had seeped into the stone. Whether it was water or some other, unnamed, liquid, was unknown. On the wall in back of it was the same swirling blue-green design. However, attached to the walls were a number of objects, knives, machetes and axes. All of which were in pristine condition. This was not the most disturbing aspect of the room.

Placed on the center of the dais was a small statue, approximately seven to eight inches in height. It was obvious that it had been given the place of honor. The work was unlike anything that the teens had seen before. It wasn't Greek or Roman based. It had no connection with Oriental or Asian designs. If anything, it might have bore some faint similarity to certain Polynesian or Haitian cult art, but that might have been stretching the point.

It was old, very old. The stone itself could barely be identified; it was a soapy greenish-black stone with iridescent flecks throughout, as if it had slept under the briny sea for eons. The figure was more of a representation, as if the sculptor was trying to put into stone something out of a dream, or a nightmare. It was an anthropoid creature, misshapen, with various tentacles protruding from its sides. On the end of the tentacles, which seemed to represent arms and legs, were prodigious claws. The cephalopod head was bulbous, there was no representation of eyes or ears that could be seen, either the artist did not put them in or they had worn away over the millennia. Smaller tentacles came from its face, surrounding the lower portion of its head, around its mouth. On its back were long narrow wings.

It was hideous, a corpulent malignancy dripped from every aspect of the foul thing. The longer one looked at it, the more a visceral disgust at this primordial monster from the primal ooze of the universe began to take hold of the psyche. After a moment or two, Cyborg could barely look at it and, closing his human eye, turned his head away. Beast Boy began an almost uncontrollable snarling. Raven, while uncomfortable, was able to continue examining it. Starfire was completely unaffected. Robin reached out a hand to examine the figurine further.

From behind them, sounds were heard. They were not footstep as it were, more, flapping, sloshing sounds. If you will, the nearest representation of sound would be a wet towel slapping against the floor. The titans spun around.

The gloom of the chamber tricked the eye, but it seemed as if from out of the depths of the room came a number of figures. Some were fully cloaked with hoods covering their heads, some were robed leaving their head uncovered. There were roughly twenty or so, with about one third leaving their heads unveiled. The….people….who showed their visages could hardly qualify by the name. Similar to the innkeeper, but more so, these individuals had large, bulbous heads with protruding eyes that never seemed to blink. A lack of hair and distinguishing facial features characterized their countenance.

However, it was the hooded figures who raised the most, disturbing, feelings among the teens. While nothing could be seen regarding these people, their shuffling, lurching gait affected the humans in the party as distinctly unnatural. It was from these entities that the 'twacking' sounds were made as the hooded entities approached.

Leading the group was one, hunched, lurching figure. Whereas all of the others wore greenish or bluish robes, this one's was pure black. Against the background of the swirling green-blue walls, the figures blended in and out, so that the natural camouflage of their robes made them seem almost ethereal. The one robed in black was the obvious leader. Unlike the other, unadorned figure, he wore on his head a tiara. The tiara shown with an unearthly splendor. Tall in front, it seemed to be made of gold, although a weird, lighter lustrousness implied that there was some unknown alloy intermingled with the gold. Misshapen, like all else in this unholy town, the tiara did not fit easily on the figure's head, yet, it seemed as if it were close to molding itself to the head.

Although the leader said not a word, there was a looming impression of displeasure, that the titans had trespassed into areas that were not meant for their eyes. No eyes could be seen in the darkness under the hood, yet, the titans knew they were being closely examined. None of them moved.

Finally, after long moments, the leader lifted up his arm. The length of the robe was such that it hid his arm and his hand. He pointed back to the door, indicating that the titans were to leave. The others made no move towards them, no attack was made, just a motion that the heroes should leave.

"Robin," whispered Starfire, "what should we do?"

"We have no choice. We're trespassing. They've obviously asked us to leave. They haven't attacked us, they've made no threatening moves. We're completely in the wrong here if we do anything but leave." With that, Robin made his way through the crowd towards the back door. The other titans followed, some reluctantly (Starfire and Beast Boy), others gladly (Cyborg and Raven). The members of the Esoteric Order of Dagon did not follow, but watched their departure from where they stood. As they approached the door back to the antechamber, Robin slowed, turning slightly to Beast Boy, he whispered,

"Beast Boy, follow the guy in the helm. He's obviously the leader and may give us some idea of where Carter is."

Beast Boy looked at Robin and hesitated. Raven looked at the green teen with concern. Remembering their conversation outside the Gilman House, Raven was about to object when Beast Boy shook his head slightly to her.

"What are you waiting for? Get going!" Robin whispered in a more emphatic tone.

"Don't tell me my job, Boy Blunder. You have no idea of what's going on." The changeling paused at the door for a moment. He considered for a moment and looked at Raven.

Somewhere, three hags sat. One observed the other two carefully. The other two were examining a thread. One had a spinning wheel, the other a measure. They carefully looked at the thread currently being worked on. While it was comparatively short, it showed a great deal of work, much change, redirection. It's interaction with numerous other threads was legion. Currently, it was mingled with four other threads, some heavily, some less. The spinner sat back, pondering.

After a moment, a crooked smile appeared on her face. Giving a chuckle, she adjusted the thread once again and resumed her spinning. The other two saw its direction and began to laugh as well.

At the door, since the other four titans blocked him from the view of the hooded figures, Beast Boy changed into a small greenish snake and slithered off into the gloom.

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Quite a bit shorter than my normal chapters, but I'm really tired this week. I've seldom been able to do more than cursory reading and, maybe, a few minutes of writing. My apologies for any disappointment in this chapter. I wanted to get SOMETHING out for you guys and I thought this would be a good stopping point.

My thanks to those of you faithful readers who have stayed with me during this delayed posting. Hopefully, I've given you a flavor of the prose that underscores Lovecraft. I've mimicked as much as I can reasonably get away with on this one. The description of the statue comes largely from "The Call of Cthulhu" (By the way, I CANNOT BELIEVE I misspelled Cthulhu TWICE in the last chapter. I must really be worn out." The tiara comes from "The Shadow Over Innsmouth".

Not much humor here. Nor will there be for a couple of chapters, we're getting to the heart of the second arc of the story. If I could do a Vincent Price laugh right now, I would.

Meanwhile, as always, my thanks to my very faithful reviewers.

TheForceIsStrongWithThisOne – Yes, that's probably for the best. If anything, I would not worry about speeding tickets either.

Downward Spiril1 – Glad you are enjoying it. Sorry to say (ok, not really), but the darkness will get thicker and deeper over the next few chapters as we explore the background of this…unpleasant…town.

KenzieCat – Welcome to the story. Glad you are enjoying it. As I said in my first story/profile, I will never stop a story in the middle. All of my stories are plotted out and will be completed. I may slow down from time to time due to extracurricular activities (ie, my job and family). Right now, I'm in my busy season, which should last through the end of the month. Updating will be sporadic until then. But I'll try.

Novus Ordo Seclorum – First, before I get to your comments. HOORAY! You made the update to Collateral Damage. For anyone not following this amazing story (which I can NOT believe anyone would read one of mine, but not his), it is fantastic and now complete.

Novus – Part 2 – Again, as always, my thanks for your kind words. Glad you picked up on the essay on silence. There is a reason why silence appears oppressive. Problem is, we don't pay attention. Meanwhile, running from Innsmouth sounds like a good idea. As you can see from the atmosphere in the Order, this is not a place to have a picnic.

My thanks, again, for your patience while I vainly attempt to stay awake long enough to write a chapter or two. Again, my apologies for such a short chapter. Unfortunately, for the next two weeks, I can't promise anything better.

Until next time my friends, sleep well.


	13. Chapter 13

I do not own anything relating to the Teen Titans.

Opening the Closet Door a Crack – Chapter 13

Xxxxxxxxxx

Not watching the small green snake slither into the darkness for fear of giving their companion away, the titans rapidly crossed the antechamber and left the building. At reaching the street, a myriad set of emotions played across their faces. On the cybernetic teen, a combination of relief at being away from that horrific statue and a furtive nervousness. On the face of the princess from the stars, anger at having to retreat from the situation and confusion over what happened.

Anger also showed on the faces of the other two titans, the grey sorceress and the boy detective, but for different reasons.

"What was he playing at?" fumed Robin, "He could have lost the leader while he was dithering. And why didn't he turn into a mouse like he usually does? Snakes are too slow. Damn him, goofing around again. We need that info." He was building himself into a raging temper.

At that, Raven lost it. Using her black energy, she picked the Boy Wonder up and slammed him into a nearby building. In retrospect, it was a good thing that most of the buildings were derelict and falling to pieces anyway, as the force from her throw was such he could have been seriously hurt if the wood hadn't already been rotten. She picked him up again and brought him back to the group, slamming him into the ground this time, all the while screaming,

"YOU STUPID, SELF-CENTERED, SELF-ABSORBED, SELF-RIGHTOUS, EGOTISTICAL, INCONSIDERATE, DOMINEERING, DICTATORIAL, DELUSIONAL.."

She probably would have continued with her string of insults, and her slamming, if Starfire hadn't intervened at this point. Running over to Raven, she grabbed her around the shoulders and shook her. Normally, when a human does this, it is a gentle shake to bring the person to their senses. Starfire was not a human. Needless to say, Raven's teeth rattled a bit and she was in danger of a concussion.

"Friend Raven! Please! Why are you doing this to Robin?"

With her concentration broken, the black energy dissipated and Robin lay on the ground panting.

"Starfire, she can't answer you when you're shaking her," interrupted Cyborg.

Realizing that Raven was completely dazed from her shaking, Starfire stopped and simply held on to her friend until she was able to re-gather her wits. By this time, Robin too had regrouped and, groaning with aches all over, rose to his feet.

"What was that for?" he asked Raven.

"HOW DARE YOU…" began Raven, already losing her temper. Starfire tightened her grip on the sorceress' shoulders and she began to calm down, or at least run out of breath. Starfire relaxed her grip, slightly.

In a rather distracted tone, as if he were hearing more than just the current conversation, Cyborg said, "Oookaaay, let's take this slowly. Raven, not that Birdboy doesn't deserve it," Robin gave him a nasty look at that, "but what's he done this time to deserve killing."

Raven looked at Robin with a glare that said if she could, she would introduce him personally to her father and leave him there. "What the boy genius here doesn't know is that Beast Boy told me that he was afraid to change here. Animals have a major problem with the scent of this town, that's why nothing, not even insects, are here. He was afraid of changing and losing control, running out on us. He was willing to stay human regardless of the consequences so that he wouldn't desert us. HE WASN'T DITHERING, YOU ASS, HE DIDN'T WANT TO CHANGE!"

Robin held his chin in his right hand, considering. "Hmmm, so that's why he chose a snake. Clever. I have to give him credit. I wouldn't have thought of that myself."

The Boy Wonder's reaction stunned the others. "What do you mean?" asked Starfire.

"Oh, snakes smell though their tongues. Therefore, as long as he kept his mouth closed, the air of this town shouldn't affect him too much. It'll give him a chance to penetrate the Order for a short time until he finds something and can change back to human."

"Why didn't he change to some animal that has no sense of smell?" asked Cyborg.

"Guess there aren't any. He's the expert. He'd know what's available. If he thought a snake worked best in this town, well, now that I know I'm not going to challenge him."

"NOW YOU WON'T CHALLENGE HIM!" Raven began again. "WHAT EVER GAVE YOU THE…."at this, Starfire tightened her grip on the grey girl's shoulders again and she stopped speaking and concentrated on simply breathing.

"Does it occur to you, friends, that Raven is more than usually concerned with the condition of friend Beast Boy?" the Tamaranean warrior inquired. Although both boys smirked, it was Robin who answered her.

"Probably doesn't want to lose a convenient punching bag. Now that I know what it's like to be thrown through a wall, I'm convinced BB is stronger than he looks. I couldn't handle a steady diet of this." The boy detective tried to loosen up his aching muscles, "I'd be in traction within a week. He gets thrown, what, every other day?"

"Seems like every couple of hours," answered Cyborg.

Raven turned a bright red and shrugged out of Starfire's grasp. "I'm going to meditate. Do NOT disturb me." With that, she assumed the lotus position and began chanting her mantra. The three remaining titans looked at each other and smiled.

"What do we do now?" asked Cyborg.

"We wait. Eventually, we'll hear from Beast Boy," answered Robin.

Changing to a snake was always momentarily disconcerting to Beast Boy. It was only for the briefest moment, but it was there nonetheless. While a snake had many uses (definitely the animal of choice for escaping ropes or slithering down narrow passages), most animals, especially humans, had arms and legs, or at least legs. Going from a limbed creature to a limbless creature caused a momentary touch of claustrophobia. It wasn't enough to distract him from his mission, but it was there. Until he realized that the lack of limbs was natural, there was some initial discomfort. Usually in the midst of battle, there were other concerns (survival) that distracted him from the discomfort.

In this case, the need to trail the master of the Order took priority. Making sure to keep his mouth completely closed, the small green garter snake slithered through the darkness along the side of the dim room. As snakes also tended to be quiet creatures, saving rattlesnakes, the green teen was able to make his way close to the group of cultists, none of whom were speaking. Upon seeing the titans depart, the various cultists began to drift away from one another to resume whatever task they had previously been engrossed in.

The last to leave was the leader, who continued to watch the door carefully for several moments after the titans left, as if considering, weighing options. With a lurching motion, he turned and made his way to one of the black curtains towards the back of the room, a small green snake following him. Behind the curtain was a passageway, painted in the same swirling blue-green wave motif as the main room. As the leader shambled his way down the corridor, it appeared this was the general décor of the entire complex. Passing by several rooms, all of which were empty, the color scheme was the same in each.

However, as they made their way towards the rear of the building, Beast Boy's eyes were caught by one room that was NOT empty. Despite the general gloom, he saw a room that had a table, lamp and a number of books and papers on it. Deciding that he could always resume his trailing of the Order leader, he slithered into the room and moved behind the door before resuming his human form.

Once in his natural form, he loosed his arms and legs again, getting used to have limbs. He also opened and closed his jaw several times, as the need to keep it closed while in snake form, while of utmost necessity, was profoundly unnatural, snakes needed to use their tongues for guidance. After being sure that he was again in human form, with all of its working parts, Beast Boy examined his surroundings.

First, and most importantly, was the door. If he was going to investigate the room, he needed to close and, preferably, lock the door behind him. Unfortunately, there was a deadbolt on the outside of the door, not the inside. This seemed to be of recent vintage as there was the mechanism for a bolt inside as well, but the actual bolt was missing. On the outside, the bolt existed. Obviously, someone had turned this room from a sanctuary into a prison. The shapeshifter worked the actual metal rod on the outside of the door from its holdings so that he could use the bar on the inside. Quietly, he closed the door and inserted the bolt in the mechanism, sealing himself in the room.

This, of course, made the room pitch black; fortunately, Beast Boy's eyes were better than the normal human's and he could still make out a number of features. Unfortunately, nothing was available to stuff under the door to prevent any light from being seen. With a sigh at its necessity, the changeling stripped off his shirt and stuffed it at the crack under the door.

With these precautions taken, Beast Boy lit the lamp on the table. It was not an electric lamp, but an old fashioned hurricane lamp supplied with oil. A box of matches was situated next to the lamp for lighting. Lighting it, he began to examine the table.

There were numerous papers, books, pens, maps and other items on the table. Letting out a breath at the work ahead of him, he cursed Robin again. He was the expert at investigating, not him, why couldn't he be here? Well, there was no helping it. Beast Boy began to riffle through the papers on the desk.

The first, most obvious book was lying, closed, right in front. There were a number of papers stuffed inside it. Beast Boy opened it up. It was not a 'regular' book with printed words but instead was a journal.

"_Dude, hasn't this guy ever heard of a blackberry? Who writes anymore?"_ he thought. Thumbing through the pages, he thought the writing looked familiar but he couldn't place it. Figuring that he didn't have much time, the green hero tucked the book under his arm for later. Shuffling through the remaining papers, he saw a number of maps, some of the South Pacific, some of the South Atlantic, some of Antarctica. He left the maps alone and began to examine the books. Many of them were atlases, some were reference books, some seemed to be old journals.

Then Beast Boy moved one book that uncovered an old, battered book. His heart froze. _"No. Shit. It can't be. I would have sensed it. Shit, no I wouldn't. I've been suppressing my animal senses in this damn town. Shit. Shit. Shit."_

With a great deal of trepidation, Beast Boy lifted the battered book. Looking at the familiar cover, he opened it up and examined the front page. He closed it quickly.

The Mad Arab Alhazrad's Necronomicon.

The book was largely in tatters. Pieces were falling out. Many pages were missing. Yet, it was indeed a partial copy of the hideous tome. Beast Boy backed away quickly. _"I don't believe it. A week ago I'd never heard of it, now I've been around three copies."_

"_Now what do I do? If I was smart, I'd get out of this room RIGHT NOW!" _He sighed_. "But, the others need this info to track down that professor dude. OK, don't go near the book, don't look at the book, don't admit the book exists."_

This was easier thought than done. Even an incomplete copy held a malignant draw to it. It was probably similar to the same desire that Eve felt when tempted by the tree of knowledge of good and evil. You weren't supposed to be there….and yet….and yet.

Since Beast Boy was repressing all of his animal senses in this malodorous town; he had little resilience to the desire. Still, ever since the elixir given by his parents to him as a child to cure him from Sakutia, he was never really far from his ties to the natural world. Rising up from the depths of his being, the entirety of nature shouted out to his senses, "NO! THIS IS WRONG!"

Regaining mastery of his desires, the shapeshifter looked at the cursed book. While he was deciding his next course of action, that decision was taken from him.

The doorknob rattled.

The attempt to open the door was followed by a pushing against the door. As the door did not budge, the attempt to force entry ceased. Now that he was no longer distracted, Beast Boy heard the familiar slopping, twacking sounds made by the cloaked members of the Esoteric Order of Dagon.

"_Looks like I've overstayed my welcome. Let's see if I can get out before he…it…comes back."_ As he moved towards the door, he heard the footsteps get closer. This time, joined by several others. The changeling froze. Several bodies seemed to push against the door to no avail, still, it seemed that they were determined to enter the room.

"Trapped! OK, now what? Let's see, if I change back to a snake, I lose anything I try to take out of here. If I change to anything else, I lose control of my abilities because of the stench of these people. Wonderful. Looks like it's time to call in the cavalry."

Beast Boy took out his communicator from his pants pocket. Before opening it, however, a thought struck him. "Hey, wonder if their copy has the page Star blew up? That would get us off the hook with the college doc." Although the pounding on the door grew more intense, the teen moved over to the Necronomicon and opened it to where, presumably, page 359 would be.

The page was there.

"_YES!"_ the green teen thought to himself, _"GOT IT!"_ While he was looking at the page, a rather disturbing sound came from the door.

The chop of an axe.

"_Oh, boy. I'm in trouble now."_ Ripping the page out of the malevolent volume, Beast Boy thrust it into the journal he still had tucked under his arm. Quickly opening his communicator, he tried to contact his friends.

"Beast Boy to Titans. Anyone, respond. Come on guys, pick up, pleeeeese."

Robin answered the call. "Beast Boy, where are you?"

"Rob, I'm in major trouble. I found all sorts of cool stuff, but I'm locked in a room and the hooded dudes just took an axe to the door. You got to get me out of here NOW!"

"Why don't you change?"

Beast Boy looked at Robin through the communicator, "DUDE, are you MENTAL? How am I supposed to bring back what I found if I change? Besides, these guys will probably step on me. Just get me out of here before they use that axe to turn me into Beast Boy cutlets."

The axe had just broken through the door. It appeared that there were a number of cultists outside the door, eager to get in. The axe continued its methodical work on the door.

"GUYS! They just broke through, GET ME OUT OF HERE!"

"Beast Boy, where are you?"

"I DON'T KNOW. THERE'S NO WINDOWS HERE. GET ME OUT!"

Robin looked at the others. Raven had left her meditation to see what was the commotion. The four titans looked at each other.

"Any ideas?" Robin asked.

This looks like a good place to pause until next time. Might be a while before I update. I'm going on vacation next week (first time in two years) but I'll try to squeeze one more chapter in before I leave.

Meanwhile, the hits have accelerated BIG time. I am extremely grateful to my readers. I'm now over 1100 hits for this story and received more than 200 since the last chapter. Wow. I know that ForceisStrongWithThisOne and Novus Ordo Seclorum get far more (deservedly so), but I consider this a success. By the by, I promo'd Collateral Damage last time, but Force's Joker's Shadow is fantastic. I highly recommend it. (And if you think I leave cliffies, see what he does.)

On to the reviewers:

KenzieCat- I'll update as soon as I can. I'm enjoying this story immensely (happy to see you're enjoying it as well, whether writing or reading, this is fun) and will continue until the horrible conclusion. Hey, it's Lovecraft, it has to be horrible.

ForceIsStrongWithThisOne – Glad you are enjoying the creepiness. Here's a little more with a cliffhanger. I acknowledge that you are the cliffie master, but I'll try to follow in your footsteps.

DownwardSpiral1 – Ahhhh, but who did the thread represent. Sometimes there are NO good choices. The three hags know who the thread represents (so do I). Don't be too quick to jump to conclusions. There is FAR more coming down the line.

ThingOne – 12? You write well for a 12-year old. My heartiest congratulations. Not giving away anything here, but yes, the statue is Cthulhu. Also, just to explain. My thinking on why BB is more sensitive than Raven is that these people are NOT supernatural. Raven would respond to the supernatural. However, they are NOT natural. You'll find out in another chapter or two. Consequently, Beast Boy, the epitome of nature, has an instinct revulsion to the unnatural. Why did they let them go? Remember (that goes for you too Downward), these were 20 normal (?) people against five superheroes. The odds were not in their favor. They took the course of expediency.

Novus Ordo Seclorum – Well, he stayed undetected for a little while. Is Carter here? That remains to be seen. If BB gets out of his current jam, a few clues may be unveiled in that journal he's carrying. Also, as you can see from this chapter, BB's response to Robin was not passive-aggressive. Raven had it right. It took a lot of fortitude (and some quick thinking) for BB to change in this terrible town.

Hot Dog 285 – Glad you're enjoying it. Hope this chapter continues to meet your expectations.

SoulSeekerthe13th – Ahhh, where does the dreaming end and reality begin. I'm sure Beast Boy is hoping to wake up real soon. Keep reading, the lines will continue to blur. (NO! This is NOT a dream! There will be consequences in this story.)

Until next time, my friends, sleep well.


	14. Chapter 14

I do not own anything relating to the Teen Titans.

Opening the Closet Door a Crack – Chapter 14

Xxxxxxxxxx

"Cyborg, can you triangulate Beast Boy's location from his communicator?" Robin asked.

"Hmmm, oh. No, I'm, uh, I'm just getting a general signal." The cybernetic teen seemed hesitant, unsure of himself.

"Robin, why do we not just break in and rescue our friend?"

"Star, we don't know where he is. By the time we locate him it could be too late. Raven, can you track him down with your empathy?"

Raven concentrated for a moment. "I can't get a read on him. There's too many people."

"THAT'S IT! Raven, where everyone is located is probably where he is. Without going through it yourself, send one of your portals to that general vicinity. BB's the only one who would know what it's for. Hopefully, you'll be close enough to him that he can jump through. At the worst, we may get a cultist or two and we can overpower them." Switching to the communicator, Robin said, "BB, get ready to jump."

Raven began the process of creating one of her transportation portals, only this time, not going through it herself, but waiting. It was quite a bit more difficult when she didn't know the precise location. She attempted to keep it at a floor level and, with any luck, it wouldn't be inside any furniture or a wall.

Now was the truly difficult part, waiting.

The axe had done its work.

"Beast Boy, answer!" shouted Robin into his communicator. There was no response.

Although he heard the call over his communicator, Beast Boy was in no position to respond. The door had been chopped sufficiently so that the battered pieces had been shoved away. Eight of the cloaked figures had entered the room. Of the eight, six were completely hooded, two were the strange men with large, protruding, bulbous, unblinking eyes. Although the first figure was carrying the axe, all of the others had various forms of knives and blades. The light from the hurricane lamp threw distorted shadows along the wall. Between the darkness of the room, the green-blue walls and the shadows of the Order, the looming figures resembled large undersea amphibians that were intent on consuming the trapped teen. The blades were all shining with the light reflected from the lamp.

Most disturbing was what was revealed by the knives. In order to wield them, each of the order members had to push up the sleeves of their robes so that the blade was evident. Each hand holding a blade was smooth, webbed, resembling more of a flipper than a hand.

The oppressiveness, the menace of the room continued to intensify. In the large room where they had first met, Beast Boy had been able to keep his distaste for these individuals under control. When he had been in the Gilman House, the closeness of the desk clerk had set off his animal instincts. Now, in a room even smaller, with more of these….creatures….in a far more enclosed space, his instincts were shifting into overdrive.

The hair on Beast Boy's head began to rise up, not out of fear, but as with a canine or feline that makes itself appear bigger in the presence of an adversary. Involuntarily, he crouched over into a position of attack and began to snarl.

"_NO, I've got to keep control. Can't let these things get my animal instincts to overcome me. Damn, wish there weren't so many of them. So hard. If their feet are anything like those hands, no wonder they don't move quickly, gives me a small advantage in mobility."_ The shapeshifter moved back towards the wall to put as much distance between them and him.

It didn't work, the aromas, the scents, the very presence of these things were overwhelming. The growling that Beast Boy emitted grew louder. A feral look came across his face and his eyes narrowed in readiness. Nevertheless, the members of the Order began to lumber towards the green teen, knives and an axe at the ready.

From the back of the mob, framed in the doorway, the tiared figure of the Order leader appeared.

"Get him." He croaked, his voice making a rasping, graveling sound. Obeying him, the order members slowly closed the distance between them and the shapshifter.

"_OK, what now, I can fight, oh God do I want to fight these foul disgusting…NO, I've got to get out of here, got to get back to the titans. Need to tell them, need to get this page to them. Not sure if I can duck them. Might have to fight, I can take these unnatural horrors. NO! Can't let the fight instinct rule. Oh boy, I did NOT want to do this. Doesn't look like I'll have any choice but to morph to get out of here with my skin. I've no idea if I can keep myself together. Let's see, need large, armored, fast….rhino should do it."_

Beast Boy was about to change when something caught his eye. As the order moved closer, though the dark figures blending into the back ground threw odd, distorted shadows everywhere, he noticed a section of the dark room that looked even darker. _"Hey, if I didn't know better, I'd swear that was one of Rae's portals."_ He sized it up in an instant. It WAS Raven's portal. There was only one problem.

The Order was between him and the portal.

"_Wonderful. Now how do I get over there?"_ If it were simply evading one or two, it wouldn't be much of a difficulty. The members walked in a lurching, uncertain pace. It was evident that they could not travel fast. The problem was that there were more than two and they fanned out to contain him. Furthermore, he was hindered by holding the journal in his left hand. It meant that he had to maneuver with one hand

Although Robin was obsessive, obnoxious and secretive, his insistence on continuous training and his demand that the titans be able to operate in any number of situations did come in useful at times. Like this one. Considering his options, Beast Boy realized he could make use of his advantage in agility. While he couldn't evade all of them, he only had to get around three to get to the portal. His further advantage was that the Order would probably expect him to make for the doorway. Consequently, the leader remained in the frame, effectively sealing him in. But the portal was not near the door.

The problem was the Order members between him and the portal, one of which held an axe. He would not have more than one try at this. If he missed, there was a distinct possibility this would end unpleasantly, in pieces.

Continuing to hold the journal in his left hand, Beast Boy made a running leap for the table and with his one free hand, somersaulting over it. Although the Order members were startled at his initial movement, they regrouped quickly. The individual with the axe swing it in a downward arc towards the boy over the desk. As Beast Boy continued his movement, flying off the desk, the axe landed where his hand had been a moment before and stuck in the table. Now there were only two facing him, each with knives. The portal, still unseen by the Order, hovered behind the one on the right.

Dodging to his far right, as if heading towards the wall, Beast Boy again evaded the knife blade that had been swung at him. After its passing, the green teen put his shoulder down and shoved against the order member, pushing him into the other hooded figure in the vicinity. With the path to freedom clear, the changeling made for the portal.

Leaping for the dark circle, Beast Boy shouted as he broke the plane of the portal,

"CLOSE IT, CLOSE IT, CLOSE IT!"

In the street outside, the four other titans looked expectantly at the dark passage that Raven had opened up. While not a lot of time had passed since Raven had opened it up, every second that passed added to the worry and concern. Had they guessed right that Beast Boy was where the others were? Was Beast Boy all right? Was Beast Boy still alive?

Only Cyborg seemed curiously unconcerned. Maybe not unconcerned, but distracted. He continued to look around him, twitching as if he were worried about being observed.

"What is with you?" asked Robin.

"Hmmm, nothing, nothing…." Cyborg replied. "Just…..uh…..do you hear anything?"

That phrase got Starfire's attention as well. Raven was concentrating on the portal and did not concern herself with anything other than maintaining its integrity. Starfire and Robin looked at one another.

"Friend Cyborg, what is it that we should be hearing?"

Cyborg looked around furtively, as if expecting to be attacked at any minute. Then he focused again on his teammates, "Nothing..nothing. Just…..curious."

Robin was about to question the cybernetic teen when there was a shout from behind him.

"SE IT. CLOSE IT!"

Flying from the portal was the green form of their missing comrade. Landing on all fours in the dirt of the road before them, Beast Boy had his head bowed and his entire body was trembling. Raven did not wait any longer for further instructions and dissolved her black portal before anything else could come through.

The titans looked at the figure in the dirt before them; he was continuing to growl and the hair on his head had risen substantially, giving him a wild look. However, it was when the changeling raised his head and stared at them that caused them to back off a step.

The wild, feral madness that had been evident days ago when Dr. Phillips had visited the Tower was back. He was breathing heavily, snarling. Before their eyes, they watched the teen master himself. He began to breathe deeply, not heavily, slowing his pace. The hair on his head began to slowly flatten, he stopped crouching and began to straighten his body. His eyes began to clear, losing their ferocity. Finally, he stood up and rubbed his hands over his eyes.

"God, thank God I got out of there!" He seemed to realize where he was, a startled look upon his face. Then a look of joy.

"RAVEN! YOU SAVED ME! THANKYOUTHANKYOUTHANKYOU!" He rushed over to his purple-haired teammate and enveloped her in a massive hug. Although she stiffened, Raven permitted this outburst, it was obvious that the ordeal he had been through was well beyond her comprehension, well beyond what any of them expected.

After a few moments, Starfire spoke. "Friend Beast Boy, we are glad that you are back and unharmed. However, I am curious. What has happened to the top half of your uniform?"

While hugging Raven, Beast Boy's eyes had been closed, as he tried to convey the joy, the relief he felt from being extricated from a situation which he had not expected to get out of. When the words Starfire said penetrated his consciousness, his eyes snapped open. He remembered that he put his tunic under the door to hide the light. Here he was, hugging Raven tightly with his bare chest against her body. All of her body. Including the parts that he shouldn't be near. He very suddenly let go and stepped back several paces, looking down at himself as if hoping that his shirt would magically reappear.

"Umm, I, umm, you see…uhhhh…sorry Raven, I didn't realize. I, umm, well..ummm, sorry." And he began to blush, looking down and only casting a furtive glance at his teammate's face.

However, the look on Raven's face held nothing of anger or embarrassment. Instead, there was a questioning, concerned look. As if the events that had driven him to this situation were of far more concern that any momentary discomfort she might feel.

"It's ok Beast Boy, what happened?"

Before he could answer the sorceress, Robin spoke up. "Beast Boy, what's this?" He reached down into the dirt where the teen had emerged moments ago and picked up a book that had been left there.

Rather than address the question that Raven had asked, along with all the accompanying issues, Beast Boy turned to the Boy Wonder. "Oh, I found that in the room I was trapped in, along with a bunch of maps and books. It's somebody's notes. The writing looks familiar but I can't tell. It looked important so I brought it with me. Thought maybe you could figure it out."

Robin opened the journal. His eyebrows knit together as he began to read the opening entries. Then his eyes widened in shock.

"BEAST BOY! This is Carter's journal. This is fantastic! Now we have some idea of what's going on. Great job."

The revelation that the missing Randolph Carter's journal had been discovered hit the titans like a thunderclap. They all huddled around Robin, eager to find out the secrets that had caused his disappearance. After a moment or so, Beast Boy piped up.

"Guys, we really should NOT be standing out in the street. There were eight guys with knives and axes after me in there and they are probably not happy that I got out. While they don't move fast," and with that Beast Boy shuddered as he remembered the webbed members holding knives and lurching towards him, "they're going to start looking for me REALLY soon."

At that, he turned towards the entrance to the Esoteric Order of Dagon. Letting out a gasp, the green hero stiffened. The other titans turned. In the doorway stood a tiared figure staring at them. While they couldn't see his eyes because of his hood, they could tell he was looking at them. An aura of menace emanated from him, a promise of vengeance for violating the sanctity of their sanctuary.

"Guys," spoke Robin, "we are completely in the wrong here. I think we should get out now and head back to the T-Jet. If he decides to come after us, he has every right to pursue us with force."

"But Robin," asked Raven, "they have Carter."

"We've no proof of that. As far as the law is concerned, we've broken into a private club and stolen (sorry BB) something from their premises."

"But it's Carter's journal!" Raven continued.

"Doesn't matter, he could have left it there. They could have picked it up from the hotel. There's still NO TRACE OF CARTER. There's no proof that they have him. We need this book and we need to get out of here without delay."

For Robin to suggest a retreat was unheard of. Yet, what could the titans do? He was the leader and his knowledge of law and legalities was greater than all of them combined. If he said they were in the wrong, they were. Turning as one, they hurried away from the Esoteric Order of Dagon, back down New Church Green and back to the T-Jet.

Well, all of them turned saved one. Cyborg still looked befuddled, confused. He continued to stare at the building, then up to the heavens and all around him. As he ran, Robin looked back and saw that the mechanical teen was still standing there.

"Come ON Cyborg! Let's MOVE!"

Shaking his head, Cyborg replied, "Yeah, sure. I'm coming."

And so the titans made their way back to the T-Jet. Surprisingly, without incident. It seemed that five teenagers in top physical condition, including two that could fly (Raven and Starfire, Beast Boy wouldn't change into a bird in that malevolent town), could outrun however many of those….things….that inhabited the town.

Reaching the safety of the T-Jet, Robin turned towards the others. "Well titans, do we pitch camp here?"

The other four looked at him incredulously.

"BIRDBOY, ARE YOU NUTS?" shouted Beast Boy. "These guys mean business. This town is driving me crazy. Get us out of here."

"Robin," echoed Starfire, "if this town is so terrible for humans, perhaps it would be better to make a tactical retreat until we gather more information." In her concern for the others, Starfire had retreated to the military lingo that characterized a warrior race, her race.

"That's probably for the best," said Raven. "Without the threat of the townspeople hovering over us, and possibly attacking, we would have a better chance of going through Carter's journal."

Where the other arguments did not have much influence on Robin, this last one cut to his core. The potential for solving the case, discovering the reasons behind the disappearance of Randolph Carter, threw the entire situation into another mode.

"You're right Raven. We need to find out what's going on. And the only way to do so is to look through this journal uninterrupted. Titans, prepare for take off."

The preparations for lift off were handled, mostly, with little difficulty. The only flaw was the continued problem that Cyborg would lose his concentration at various moments and have to be reminded to fulfill his duties. Nevertheless, the titans were able to lift off before any of the residents of the shadowed town of Innsmouth reappeared. As they flew away from Innsmouth, none of the teens looked back at the cursed town. Each, for their own reason, was glad to be away from this malevolent patch of earth.

None of them realizing that, one way or another, none would ever see shadowed Innsmouth again.

And somewhere, three hags were laughing.

Hi folks, I'm back. A week's vacation, a week with my computer down with a virus and NOW I'm able to continue the story. Hope you are all enjoying it. I noticed that the hits have improved so either more folks are reading (hi!) or there are people who are rereading it (wow, didn't realize it was that enjoyable).

Now that Innsmouth is in the distance. There will be a short, ok, several chapter, interlude before we go to our next destination in the world of HP Lovecraft. By the way, the clues are all there as to where the Titans go next. The clues will get more….obvious?...over the next several chapters.

Meanwhile, my continued thanks and appreciation to my readers and most especially, my reviewers. Onwards.

TheForceIsStrong – This from the master of cliffhangers. OK, no cliffies here, just loose threads everywhere. Yeah, it was fun having Raven beat up Robin. Here the focus was almost exclusively on BB. By the way, anyone reading this GO TO JOKER'S SHADOW and read it. WOW!

KenzieCat – Killing? Who said anything about killing? Just because most Lovecraft protagonists end up either dead or mad, why should anyone be killed. OK, seriously, in my story summary, I mention survival is uncertain. I wasn't joking.

Novus Ordo Seclorum – Hi NOS, I'm back. Actually, if you notice, Robin is working WITHOUT complete knowledge of the situation. Not that I want to give him an out, but fair is fair. Raven knew what BB was going through, but Robin didn't. Would that have changed Robin's decisions? I refuse to answer.

DownwardSpiral1 – Well, as you can see, BB made it out alive (although I tried to make it a near thing). You know, if it wasn't for the fact that I am NOT Robin's biggest fan, I would wonder why EVERYONE is happy to see Robin beaten to a pulp.

Emotionalpoemgirl – Welcome aboard for this rollercoaster through Lovecraft. You hit the nail on the head. I had Raven planned to be the savior (at least here) by teleportation. Maybe not quite the way you expected though. Glad you're enjoying the story.

The vacation was good. It's good to be back.

Until next my friends, sleep well.


	15. Chapter 15

I do not own anything relating to the Teen Titans.

Opening the Closet Door a Crack – Chapter 15

Xxxxxxxxxx

_From the Journal of Randolph Carter – Selected Passages_

_July 20, 2-_

_If I had realized how backward this town was, I'm not sure I would have come. This town is something out of the early twentieth century. There's no appreciable electricity. So I 'm forced to abandon my laptop and use a journal for my notes. After using my laptop all day, the battery needed recharging. When I checked into the Gilman House, I examined my room and saw there were NO outlets. Calling the desk clerk, I discovered there was minimal electricity from the gas generators in the basement, just enough for the overhead lights. It's fortunate that I'm able to plug my blackberry into my car to recharge so I can call Howard, otherwise I'd be completely out of touch with the world._

_Still, trying to unlock the source of mankind's belief in devils and demons is worth a little inconvenience. So, I'm back to writing my notes in a book. Between that and the stench of fish in this town, what I do for knowledge._

_July 21, 2-_

_This is a most curious town. I tried to speak with the desk clerk and he was monosyllabic. Ugly and deformed beyond belief. From my researches, I understand this town has been secluded, almost cut off from the rest of the world. It appears that the inbreeding of the residents is some of the worst I have ever heard of. The few I've met all seem to have a skin disease that makes their hair fall out, their skin turn scaly and their eyes exhibit an unusual protubence combined with a strange inability to blink. Given the incredibly small number of residents, it appears that these people have been inbreeding for generations, well over a hundred and fifty years. I wonder if combined with the physical degeneration a mental degeneration has accompanied it? It would be consistent with observed scientific evidence. _

_Eating here will be a problem. There are no restaurants here and only one grocery store. The store is staffed by people from outside the town who bus in everyday. Talking with them, it seems as if there is little business actually done, save only by the younger members of the community. There do not seem to be many old folk here. Looks like it's going to be prepackaged food for a while. I know one thing, NO FISH, this town reeks of it._

_Regardless, my next step is to continue to investigate the history of this town and that most unusual cult. I'm going to try to get as much outside information regarding it as possible before I try to enter their headquarters._

_July 24, 2-_

_Never have I run across such close mouthed people! Most folks are willing to talk about their town, their families, reminiscing about events great and small. NONE of these people talk in more than a monosyllable. I've been over to the town hall to ask to research various town events and they've turned me down from looking at anything. This is supposed to be a public office and I've been told several times that various offices are closed. It's the middle of the week, how could they be closed?_

_I've tried to interview what few residents I can find. I've looked throughout the ruins for SOME clue as to the cause of the deterioration in this town and the degeneration of the residents. NOTHING._

_Generally, I try to get as much data together before I attempt to interview the people who are the main focus of my investigation, but in this case, I may have to enter the Esoteric Order of Dagon without the ammunition of background info. Don't like it. Don't particularly like this town. Unnerving, to say the least. Quietest place I've ever been. Haven't seen a dog, cat, squirrel, bird, nothing. Nobody even walks the streets. Place resembles a western ghost town more than a New England fishing village._

_And If I never see or smell a fish again it will be too soon._

_July 25, 2-_

_There's something seriously wrong in Innsmouth. I'm afraid I may have gotten myself in a situation. Been in them before, but not usually when I'm cut off from anything approaching civilization. Came back to the hotel today after exploring the various churches in town. Usually, you can get records and histories there. Turns out EVERY church in the town is abandoned. And has been for years, probably close to a century. Even when I went into the boarded up buildings, there was nothing left to examine. Just blank rooms. Even the Catholic church had been abandoned, and they never give up on a parish. After a long, fruitless day of visiting the abandoned churches looking for records, went back to the hotel and was told that my room had been changed. There was a problem._

_What kind of problem could there be? There's no electricity and the water in located in the communal bathroom down the hall. Still, they moved me down the hall to another room. When I saw the room, I was definitely uneasy. There was no lock on my side of the door, but a lock on the OUTSIDE. If I hadn't been so tired, I would have gone downstairs to demand another room._

_What's going on here?_

_July 26, 2-_

_Put off my call to Howard today. Too tired. Spent the entire day searching graveyards, there are three in this town. Found something unnerving. No one in this town has died in over 80 years. At least, no one is buried here with a date later than 1925. In fact, you can see starting around 1840, fewer and fewer burials are recorded until finally, everything peters out by the 20s. I know the population of the village began to drop around the mid 1800s, but statistically, there seems to be lack of dead people given the population of the time. Yet, the census for each period suggest that there are more people than evident graves. Even the last census suggested that there are somewhere between 100 and 200 residents. Yet no one has died in decades. Therefore, there must be a considerable population here. But there's no one on the streets. _

_Even more disturbing. If no one has died in decades, there should be a considerable number of older folks. But there's no community center, no general store where the old timers hang out. Nothing._

_Not that I've seen a lot of people around, but those that I have seen seem relatively young. No elderly folk. _

_Where IS everyone?_

_July 27, 2- (Morning)_

_Tired. Did not sleep well. Heard things. Strange footsteps, almost a flapping sound going up and down the corridor. Thought once or twice someone stopped outside my door. Pretty sure someone bolted the door. Smell of fish was almost overpowering._

_Town must be upsetting me more than I thought. Can't tell whether this was real or dream. It will be worth it if I can get SOME information out of these people._

_Tried everything I can think of to prepare for the Esoteric Order of Dagon. Hate going to interview my main subject without preparation, but no choice now. None of these damn people are cooperating. _

_God, I'm tired._

_July 27, 2- (Afternoon)_

_Scared. In over my head. Tried to talk to the order members. Bizarre. Almost all of the members wore strange cloaks with hoods covering their heads. Walked funny, lurching, off balance. When I entered the building (old Masonic temple, I recognized the structure), there was no one there. Entered the main room, looked like an undersea temple. Remarkable coloring and atmosphere maintained. Actually, the artist who did this deserves considerable credit for creating a seascape of constantly shifting waves and undersea scenery. Extended to both the ceiling and floor as well. Most cults do not put that much attention into detail._

_Makes sense, consistent with the concept of a water god, everything from the room color to the décor suggested the deep. Focus on knives and blades consistent with devil worship. Back wall was covered in sharp implements. Reminiscent of Inca and Aztec sacrifices. Not precisely, though. As if they were attempting to mimic the ancient cultures._

_On the alter I saw the most hideous statue conceivable. Cross between a man and a squid, although that doesn't do it justice. Small, only about a foot high. Despite its repulsiveness, an excellent piece of ancient South Sea sculpture. At least that's what it resembles. Seems like all of the images in this room are derivative of older cultures._

_Perhaps, these older cultures are derivative of this one? Something to consider._

_Wanted to take a picture of that hideous idol for reference, think I've seen it somewhere before, but room too dark, even for my flash. Odd though, longer I looked at it, more I almost thought I heard voices. Lack of sleep I suppose._

_Heard some of that strange flapping sound from my dreams, turned and saw three hooded cult members. One had a tremendous golden tiara over his hood. Curved cone shape, gold mixed with some silver metal I couldn't identify. Shape was odd, reminiscent of some of the Polynesian cults I investigated a couple of years ago. My first real clue regarding the origin of this order. Seem to be related to South Sea demon worship. Consistent with the stone idol and the deep sea motif._

_Tried to talk to them, did not get much response. Asked me to leave. Voices were guttural, croaking, almost frog-like. Like everyone else in this town, monosyllabic. Tried to tell them I was researching ancient religions, but the leader, as I supposed he was, just pointed to the door and told me to leave._

_Made my way back to the Gilman house. Going up to my room, saw that my things had been searched. Tried to call the state police, didn't trust the town constable. When I realized it wasn't in my pocket, I figured that I was so tired that I must have left it in the room. Searched the room thoroughly, no phone._

_Wasn't going to wait any longer, went downstairs past the desk clerk and outside. If I had to skip out on my bill, I'll mail them a check. Went around to the back of the hotel where I parked my car. It was gone as well. Went back around to the front of the hotel to consider my situation. Only remember one road out of town and I wasn't sure my car would make it into town the first time. I'm not good with directions and my GPS disappeared with the car._

_No getting around it, I'm trapped in this town. Can't even go to the desk clerk and ask him to call the police or a taxi. He's probably in on it. Whole town seems to be part of this cult. _

_Getting late, too late to try to walk out of town. Nearest town is several miles away and I'm not in the best shape. Should have listened to my doctor couple of years ago after that minor heart attack and started walking. Figured that there would be time and that my work would get me plenty of exercise. In hindsight, not one of my better decisions. Can't walk that far before dark and given the poor condition of the road (and the menace of the townfolk) don't want to be exposed in the night to whatever. Better wait until morning. _

_Meanwhile, I've attempted to barricade myself in my room by moving the bureau in front of the door just in case._

_Never felt so alone in my life. Will never eat fish again._

_July 29 (?), 2-_

_Finally got my journal back. Last two days have been a nightmare. I'm guessing two days as I've completely lost track of time. No light, no idea of what happened or how long. Don't know why I'm still writing this down, probably never be read. Calms me. Swear, if I get out of this one, will take up stamp collecting like Howard. He's been wanting someone to talk about it for years._

_Even my writing is babbling. Where to begin? _

_Rereading. Left off at barricading myself in my room. So much has happened, don't know if I even remember it all. Wasn't able to sleep, at least thought I wasn't. Seemed to drift off during the night. Heard more flapping and movement in the hall while I dozed._

_Sometime in the dark, people broke into my room. Couldn't see them, no lights. That strange flapping sound against the floor was everywhere. No idea how many of them there were. Fish smell EVERYWHERE. Surrounded my bed. I had not undressed in case I needed to make a quick getaway. Seems my exhaustion took care of that. _

_Someone put a hand in front of my mouth, cold, clammy, scaly. My skin crawled at its touch. Felt like some frog had been placed in my mouth. Thought I would throw up. Don't remember anything after that, although back of my head is sore. Think I was hit from behind and knocked out._

_Woke up in this room. Think I'm back in the headquarters of the Esoteric Order of Dagon. Room's décor is just like that. All blue and green and waves. Nauseous for a while. Hope I don't have a concussion. There's a bed in the corner, a table and an old fashioned chamber pot. Disgusting. _

_Went and tried the door, locked. Afraid at that point, I lost my head, started pounding on the door shouting to be let out. After a few moments, I got dizzy and had to sit down. God, hope I don't have a concussion, could be brain damage or coma if I sleep much more. Could also simply be because of shock and exhaustion. _

_Hours later, I assume, heard the flapping at the door and the door was unbolted. Just occurred to me, strange but nowhere in town are actual locks, only bolts. Anyway, three hooded figures entered, all seem to be members of the Order. Brought food (no fish, thank God, just some packaged stuff from the grocery store). Didn't speak to me at all. Tried to ask them what they wanted, why am I here. No response._

_Ate and went back to sleep. When I woke up again, the door was being unbolted again. This time, five order members, including the leader in the tiara came in the door. No one said anything, but they had my clothes, my books and my notes. Tried to question them, no answers. NEVER ANY ANSWERS FROM THESE PEOPLE!_

_Got to stay calm, rational. Know I'm a prisoner for the moment. Hope there's nothing more, sinister, since they brought me my things._

_What do they want with me? _

_Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx_

Before anyone asks where are the titans, sorry, but these next several chapters are important to the story. Mr. Lovecraft had a method for moving his story along (and giving important information) through the use of journals and letters. Consequently, the next few chapters will focus on revealing a bit more of the town of Innsmouth (I said the titans were finished with Innsmouth, I didn't say we were.)

Hopefully, you won't be too disappointed, or bored. Believe me, our friends will reappear when the time comes.

Meanwhile, I've seen a nice increase in the number of hits, up to 1600+ for my full story (yes, Force, I know you get that for one chapter, but I'm not as good as you are). My deepest thanks to those who read, continue to read and reread this lengthening tale. I know this is a short chapter, but it ends in a convenient place, so you'll have to be patient.

On to the reviews,

ForceIsStrongWithThisOne – Actually, according the strict letter of the law, they caught someone breaking and entering and in the act of burglary (BB had the journal under his arm). This after they were told to vacate. Even so, perhaps the Order went a little too far. By the way, I had the topless hug planned out in the prior chapter. I wonder if anyone remembered that BB had taken off his shirt. Thought it would be 'funny' given the narrow escape he had.

Kenzie-Cat – BB's ok (for now), hope these next chapters meet up to your expectations.

Soulseekerthe13th – You know, I DIDN'T know that RC was Lovecraft's alter ego. It makes sense. He's the only recurring character in all of his work (that I can remember). Hope you're enjoying this retrospective on Lovecraft's style. Thanks for writing.

Novus Ordo Seclorum – As you may be able to tell from this chapter, it is the lingering effects of the Necronomicon, compounded with that abominable statue of Cthulhu, that has triggered this relapse. As for piecing together the story from Carter's journal, we've only just scratched the surface. The journal's revelations are far more…enlightening, in our next chapter.

Until next time my friends, sleep well.


	16. Chapter 16

I do not own anything relating to the Teen Titans.

Opening the Closet Door a Crack – Chapter 15

Xxxxxxxxxx

_From the Journal of Randolph Carter – Selected Passages_

_July 30, 2-_

_I'm going to assume that it's the 30__th__, no way to tell really. No windows, no outside communication. No internet, not even a newspaper. Just have to assume when I wake up it's a new day._

_At least they brought me my clothes. Old ones were getting a bit rank. I'm getting a bit rank myself, at least from what I can tell over the fish smell that permeates everything in this town. Tried to talk to captors, convince them to at least let me out to take a shower. No answer. Never an answer. NO ONE IN THIS DAMN TOWN ANSWERS! WHAT THE HELL DO THEY WANT?_

_Nothing to write even. Looking at the four walls. Everything is blue-green wave. If I was prone to seasickness, I would probably be nauseous. Only light is this hurricane lamp. Along with my food, the order gives me lamp oil. Thought for a moment about using it as a weapon, but I wouldn't be able to see without it. Throwing it against the wall or door could start a fire, but I'd probably die of smoke inhalation before it would burn through._

_Just have to wait._

_July 31, 2-_

_Morning, I guess. FINALLY had someone speak to me, croaking in their weird monosyllabic voices, but at least SPEAKING. Breakfast came with my three jailers. Don't know if they are always the same, three hooded figures always look the same. _

_This time, a fourth, unhooded member joined them. It was the desk clerk, wearing the same cloak as everyone else, but without a hood. He spoke to me in the same hesitating, croaking voice as always, but he at least said something. Not sure I understand the question, difficult when the sentences seem abbreviated. He said, "You read". At least it seemed more like a question than a statement. I replied that yes, I do read. He nodded and the four left the room._

_What on earth was that all about?_

_July 31, 2-_

_Must be later in the day. The four came back, arms loaded with books and papers. They dumped them on the table. The desk clerk pointed at the pile and said "Read". They left the room. I can't tell if this is to keep me busy or if they want something from me. Still, bored out of my mind, may as well pick this up and see if there's anything useful in their archives. It's what I came for. Don't know if I'll get out with what I learn._

_July 31, 2-_

_WHAT A TREASURE! Most of these books and papers go back to the 1800s, to the beginning of the town, to the beginning of this cult. It will take me several days to go through them and sort them out. There's also a number of odd books, scraps of parchment with odd writing, reminds me of sections of the Necronomicon, the non-Latin areas that no one seems to be able to make out. Where did they find this?_

_August 1, 2-_

_These papers are disturbing. Since many of them seem to written by eyewitnesses, I'm assuming there's some level of truth to them. I've been avoiding the books written in a language I can't read and focusing on the papers, organizing them, reading them. Many of them concern one man, Captain Obed Marsh. He seems to be the founder of this cult, brought it back from some South Sea island. From everything I can find, he brought back some of the natives from the island, married one and many of his crew married the others. They seem to have gotten involved in the gold trade after that, but there's no mention of where it came from. There's little to no gold in all New England. Curious._

_Apparently, the fish trade increased at this time too. There's some talk of rituals, sacrifices to their undersea god that keeps the fish coming. Lot of talk of about eternal life with their god. From the descriptions, doesn't seem like they are talking about life after death, but a metamorphosis in this life to join their god. Talks about the transformation and joining "The Deep Ones"._

_Getting tired again. Will sleep for a while and start again in the morning._

_August 2, 2-_

_This Marsh was a monster! I've uncovered a letter written by his first mate, Matt Eliot. The contents are so revealing, I'm tempted to try to keep the letter. Since I don't think that'll work, I'll transcribe it into this journal, maybe I'll be able to rescue it._

By my hand, the Last Statement of Matthew Eliot,

Curse that devil Marsh.

I knew he wasn't no God-fearing man. Not after those voyages to that island. How any Christian man could turn his back on God and take up with those heathens is something I don't get. Bad enough he turned his back on God, but he also betrayed his crew. That cannot be forgiven.

Fool that I am, I trusted him. Spawn of Satan that he was, I stuck with him. I'm not saying that I didn't profit right by him. Me and the rest of the officers and the crew did. The gold from those heathens made us right rich. Still, better we never went there. Those heathen animals were corrupting. Corrupting us good Christians against God. Went back, time after time, 'til there were almost none left on that cursed island. Either they killed themselves, the other islands killed them, or we brought 'em back to Innsmouth.

Shouldn't have brought those unnatural beasts back. I call them beasts, least them Africans look like people. These look unnatural, blasphemous, a sin against God himself, large frogs or toads. Bad enough we brought them back, but Marsh took a couple to WIFE! Half the crew did too! Tried to tell them, tried to convince them that it was unnatural. Marsh only laughed at me. Said I should look for a better god than the one I was worshipping. Said his chillen would live forever. Said that someday their god would come and kill everyone who wasn't one of them. Told him he was talking evil talk. Laughed at me some more.

Then the regular people started to go. Don't know where, never saw them again. Talked to the preachers. Most o' them tried to keep the folk on the right and holy path. Couple took off, scared. I was scared too, but I stayed. Knew Marsh would never do nothing to me, I'm his first mate, have been for years. Stayed by his side when no one else would.

Then, found out what was happenin', people started seeing strange lights out at Devil's Reef. People started going out there and not coming back. Regular people, not these half frog folk. Rumors of killings, sacrifices to their heathen god. Should have gotten out then, didn't.

Then, last spring, Marsh came to me. Said he wanted to make one more trip down south. I told him there was nothing left. Last time we went to the island, it was empty, heathen symbols all over to get rid of the curses. Marsh told me we weren't going that far. Just down to the frozen land.

Told him no reason to go there. No gold there, no spices, no profit. Just ice. He told me that this would be the last voyage for everyone. Said there was a city down there. The islanders knew about it, but didn't have the way to get there. Only canoes. No proper clothes. Not like a hearty New England sailor. Said that the city had the location of their lost island, where their god lived.

Once Marsh mentioned their heathen god, I was ready to turn him down for the first time in my life. I had enough of heathen gods and their blasphemies. But Marsh is a sly one. Said wherever there's a city, there's treasure. God forgive me for my weakness. I said one last journey south. We got the crew together, both the good and the fallen, and set sail.

Took a bunch of weeks to get there. But we crossed the quator and made our way past Cape Horn. While at sea, Marsh told me where we were going. Smart man, no question. He knew things, knew where and how to get things out of people. Figured their lost city was at 76° 15' 113° 10'. Looking at the map, saw that was way inland, couple of hundred miles. Asked how we were supposed to get there. Marsh said to let him worry about that, I was to stay on the ship and watch it.

Fine with me, I'm a sailor. If I wanted inland, I'da been a farmer. So we set anchor near as we could get to the coordinates and Marsh and a bunch of 'his' sailors went ashore. Damn fool. Snow, ice, temperature never got above 5° whole time.

Bout two weeks later, Marsh and what's left of his party came straggling back. Lost about half of them. Nothing could kill Marsh. Came aboard cursing and swearing worsen I ever seen him. Cursing the fool islanders who don't know nothing. City's in the mountains. Could see the reflection in the clouds, but couldn't get up there. Didn't have anything for climbing these big mountains. Said they were the biggest he'd ever seen. Cursing the whole time that this was the last voyage.

Crew was in a right proper fix. Weeks at sea, and no chance of profit. No helping it, with nowhere else to go we turned around and made our way back to Innsmouth. Marsh was in a foul mood. When he wasn't in his cabin, he was stomping around the deck yelling at the crew, telling them to hurry back. Knowing now what I didn't know then, we should have taken our time.

Problems started after we got back to port. Over next few weeks, some of the crew began to disappear. These were the regular crew members, not those who had fallen in with the heathen god. Started to wonder about that. Kept watch on the rest, but slowly, each disappeared.

Went to Marsh about it, told him this was his crew, his people. He told me that he'd made his last voyage and he had his people. God almighty, but I got a chill down my back at that. How could a captain turn on his crew. Didn't think it through. Marsh did, always did. Then Jackson, one of the midshipmen, disappeared. Knew then, knew for certain. Wasn't just the crew, going after the officers. Taking them out to that reef to be butchered for that heathen god of theirs.

Nowhere to go. All the ships belong to Marsh, can't get out of town by sea. Don't know enough about the land to walk. Doesn't matter. Roads all watched. Last night they got Andrews, good man even if he was an Anglican. He was the second mate. Means my turn is next.

Well, they won't get me. Got my pistol, saved it from the ship. Too many to fight off, but still got one bullet. Will use it too. God will forgive me, I'm sure. Better in hell than sacrificed to some evil heathen god.

Blocked the door to make sure I got enough time. Want to write more. Got most of it out. God, please forgive this miserable sinner. If I'd a known, I would never have gotten in with Marsh.

Hearing voices on the stairs. That miserable flapping these frog folk make coming up stairs. Fish smell everywhere. Not much time.

Curse that devil Marsh, may he rot in hell.

_The paper was old, spotted with dried blood. Assume that Eliot used his pistol. Had he gone mad? Was he really being set up for sacrifices? Like to think that this was madness. Alternatives are too awful to consider. _

_Even so, this pushes the origins of this cult back to the South Sea demon worship. Maybe if I can continue my researches in these papers, I can locate just which island it was. At a minimum, this ties it in with a variety of other devil worship cults. Don't know how the cult has evolved since the time of Marsh. Almost no one left in the town. _

_Just realized, one possible reason for the lack of graves would be if they were really sacrifices. Not going to jump to conclusions, but it is a possibility._

_These people are the descendents of those mixed ancestry marriages. Don't know how much to believe regarding frog folk, but there is some degeneration in the region. How much from inbreeding and how much from what Eliot calls heathens. Obvious he has his prejudices, most people from that time did. Still it's unnerving. Especially when I can't see the heads or hands of most of the town folk._

_Come to think of it, that desk clerk, the hairless, roundish head with bulbous eyes does look frog-like. Maybe there's more to this._

_Tired. Lots more to read. Will resume tomorrow._

_Scared, more scared than I've ever been in my life. Hope I live long enough challenge that statement._

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

For those familiar with Lovecraft, I just sent out a HUGE flare with the location of the next arc of the story. For those who don't, you'll have to wait for another chapter or two. We've still got at least one more chapter relating to Carter's journal before we rejoin our friends. By the by, in "Shadow Over Innsmouth", Matt Eliot really is the first mate to Obed Marsh and his attitudes here are hinted at in the story.

I realize that this is another 'short' chapter. Again, just seemed like a good place to stop. If I continue, I'll have to go well beyond my usual limits. And I had a comparative mild day, beloved wife is out with her friends, so I could focus on the story.

Didn't give too many people a chance to read and review. Oh well, my own fault. On to the reviews

ForceIsStrongWithThisOne – Is the doctor alive? Time will tell.

DownwardSpiril1 – Carter's journal was in the room that he was held captive. When the Order retrieved all his belongings from the Gilman House, the journal was included. For some reason (yet to be revealed), he left it in the room when he left the headquarters of the Order.

LanaLuff – Welcome to the story. Glad you are enjoying it. I usually try to carefully plan out my stories well in advance to tie up loose ends and avoid problems. Meanwhile, I heartily recommend Lovecraft's works as mine are only a very pale imitation of the master.

Soulseekerthe13th – Hopefully, this inclusion of Matt Eliot, Marsh's first mate, makes the story even more enjoyable. I'm trying my best to keep this Lovecraftian.

Emotionalpoemgirl – We'll find out shortly why Cyborg is confused. As for Very Creepy, thank you, I did my best.

Until next time my friends, sleep well.


	17. Chapter 17

I do not own anything relating to the Teen Titans.

Opening the Closet Door a Crack – Chapter 17

Xxxxxxxxxx

_From the Journal of Randolph Carter – Selected Passages_

_August 3, 2-_

_Slept poorly again. Don't know what it is. Is it the smell of fish? The fear of being held captive? Just the town itself? God, what I wouldn't give for one night's peaceful slumber. _

_At least I'm being fed. Food's not great, but better than FISH. EVERYTHING'S BETTER THAN FISH. HATE FISH, WILL ALWAYS HATE FISH. _

_Need to get myself under control. Been several days since I've spoken with clerk. The hooded order members never talk to me. Research is interesting, but after a while, need to hear another voice. Beginning to loathe this entire room. Wish I studied up on Stockholm Syndrome, don't think this is a sign. Don't think there's ANYTHING that could make me identify with these horrors._

_Well, back to work, may as well do the research I came here for. Nothing else to do._

_Wish I could take a shower._

_August 3, 2- (Afternoon)_

_Unbelievable! FINALLY know why I've been held here. Never imagined it. Never could have dreamed it. Major discovery. MAJOR breakthrough in linguistics and cultural history._

_Where to start? Clerk came in later in the morning, said one word, "Read?" I responded yes. He asked me "What say?" I started to talk about Marsh and the various papers and letters. He interrupted me and pointed to the books I had not worked on, asking "What say?"_

_I answered him that I didn't know the language, no one did. I opened up one of the books to a page where I at least recognized the words, should, they were the familiar passage from the Necronomicon, "Ph'nglui mglw'nafh Cthulhu R'yleh wgah'nagl fhtagn". No one knows what that means._

_The clerk responded "In his house at R'yleh, dead Cthulhu waits dreaming."_

_I almost hit the floor. After all these years, SOMEONE knows these words._

_It was then I realized. These people are illiterate! All of their lore, their knowledge must be oral. They've been looking for someone to read these books to them. I could read the books and they could translate the words to English. What a tremendous opportunity!_

_We spent much of the remainder of the day transcribing their texts. I would read out a sentence and the clerk would give me the English word. Began to see patterns in the texts. Can't get the full meaning yet, will probably take a number of sessions, but at least I have my Rosetta stone as a start. _

_August 4, 2-_

_Continuing to work with the clerk and the books. Apparently, many of these books are their holy books. God alone knows where they came from. Some seem derivative of older works, some seem to be extracts from other forbidden works. Recognize passages from Necronomicon, Pnakotic Manuscripts, other lesser works. Al most as if someone had copied sections out of those works and assembled their own holy bible out of them. Will need several more sessions with clerk before I'm able to work alone to begin translating._

_Tired. Excited, but tired. Mind is starting to play tricks on me. Keep getting the impression that I'm not alone. Must be the excitement of these discoveries._

_August 5, 2-_

_Odd day. First time the clerk showed any signs of real interest or excitement in our activities. Reached a part of their books dedicated to various ceremonies. Began to translate them with him filling in various words that I was unfamiliar with. _

_Apparently, cult has become worried at the deterioration in their various ceremonies and have been looking for some way to get back to the "original" basis of their religion. Guest even cults have their fundamentalists. _

_Finally, began description of a major ceremony that cult undertakes to communicate with their god, Dagon. Has to be done at a certain time and in a certain place. At least that's what I gather from the text. Clerk was highly agitated at the information. Seems like this was the information they had been waiting for. Oral histories knew it was arriving, but the corruption in their oral histories due to time and the normal deterioration of the language made them question their beliefs. This is a fascinating example of the evolution of religion and culture over an extended period of time. Assuming I get out of this, what a paper I am going to write._

_August 6, 2-_

_Slept poorly again. Strange dreams about faraway cities and palaces. Odd people. Must be from being cooped up so long. Wish I could take a shower. If it weren't for that every present smell of fish, not sure I could stand myself. Odd, seems like I'm almost getting used to the smell. Sometimes, barely notice it anymore. Maybe I'll have a nice salmon dinner after I finally get out of this place. _

_Drifting off. Need to stay focused. Clerk came in again today, extremely excited. Apparently, our work has coincided with other portends. Cult is provisioning one of the last remaining vessels available in port for a long voyage. Many of the members will be going. Leader will not, from what the clerk says, he's too close to his transformation, whatever that is, and can't handle the rigors of a long voyage. _

_From what he says, their MAJOR ceremony is upon them, their chance to speak with their god. Need to go to his sacred island. Logical, given that the cult originated in the South Seas. Obviously, the religion is centered on a specific island where the god lives. Not unusual, most of these Polynesian religions are based on 'sacred' spots and islands. Obviously, these folk have just been segregated from the original body of believers for so long that they've lost track of their various duties and obligations. _

_From what I've been able to gather, they plan to leave on the next tide. Don't know what they plan for me at this juncture. Hopefully, I'll be released. Almost wish I could go with them. What an opportunity to observe a demon/devil cult in the process of one of its rituals. Never was able to see one. _

_Given my druthers, I want out. Want to see the sky again. Want to smell the air again. Don't know what happened to the fish smell, but it seems to have faded somewhat. Still, want clean air. Soon as I get out, definitely want something that is NOT prepackaged food._

_Salmon, maybe trout or cod, sounds good for dinner._

Robin stopped reading to the other titans. His voice had been growing hoarse with the long recitation.

When the titans departed from Innsmouth, they had flown several miles outside of the marshes that surrounded the town. Somewhere between Innsmouth and Dunwich, the T-Jet landed in an open field and the titans were finally able to take a breath. They set up camp, each titan with their own tent. Beast Boy retrieved and donned a new shirt and while the other titans were preparing the evening meal, Robin began searching through the journal. Afterwards, Robin began to read passages out of Carter's book to the others.

Looking up at the others, Robin said, "Well, now we have the first clue regarding Carter's whereabouts, at least as far as about a month ago. He was captive of the cult. Since then, we don't know."

"Robin," asked Starfire, "I am confused. Many of the terms that Dr. Carter used are unfamiliar to me, for instance, what is the Stockholm Syndrome?"

"The Stockholm Syndrome is when captives begin to identify with their captors. Usually, people who have been kidnapped for a long period of time actually join their kidnappers. It's a property of human psychology that enables us to deal with long periods of stress."

"Sounds like towards the end that's what was happening to Carter," mused Raven.

"Sure does," answered Beast Boy. "Dude was actually willing to eat fish again after that town." He gave a shudder. "Gonna take a while before I can even MORPH into a fish after that town."

"But still," continued Starfire, "I do not understand what possessed the doctor to aid his captors? There was no force, no torture. Yet he seems to be aiding them."

Robin paused for a length. This would take some explaining. "Star, humans have difficulty under duress and captivity. They tend to look for anything that will relieve their boredom and, unless properly trained, are willing to do anything to keep themselves occupied."

Starfire shook her head. Humans were a continual source of puzzlement to her.

"So," continued Raven, "where do we go from here?"

Robin pondered, "Well, we know he was here. I read the last entry that he wrote in his journal. I'm assuming, given what Beast Boy has told us, that room was where he was being held captive. Obviously he's been moved from there. I suspect that he's no longer in town. Beast Boy, was there any sign of recent activity in the room?"

"Couldn't tell. There was no recent food there, at least I couldn't smell anything. Didn't even see a bed in there, so it might have been moved out."

"OK, so, most likely Carter is no longer in the Order headquarters. While he could have been moved to another location, my suspicion is that he's on board the ship mentioned in the journal. It would make sense. They need him for reading and translation and it would explain why his journal was left behind. They probably rushed him aboard ship before he knew what was going on."

"So," asked Starfire, "we are to follow the trail of the ship?"

Robin let out a deep sigh. "No way to tell at this point. They left weeks ago. They could be anywhere in the Atlantic or the Pacific Oceans. Trying to find one small ship would be almost pointless. Besides, I think we have a more pressing issue."

Most of the titans looked confused at this statement. Robin looked at Cyborg. "Cy, Vic, you're hearing the voices and the wings again, aren't you?"

Cyborg had been silent during the entire discussion, his eyes staring off into space, looking at a vision only he could see. When Robin spoke to him, he started. "No. Not at all, what makes you think…" He let out a long breath "Yeah, it came back when I saw that miserable statue. Can't get the image out of my mind. Don't know how to deal with it. Hearing things, all the time. Don't know if it's worse than before, but can't shake the feeling, we're being watched, tracked."

"In that case," said Raven, "we need to reboot you. Can we do it here?"

"No, I need the main computers back at the Tower."

"Then we go back to Titans Tower." Said Raven.

"Whoa, Dudes, first we go back to the college. Beast Boy saved the day again."

The four titans looked at their green companion. "What are you talking about?" asked Robin.

A smirk crossed the changeling's face, followed by one of his trademark wide grins. "Bird Boy, yours truly has got us out of our mess with Dr. Warren. While I was in the headquarters I found a real old copy of that miserable book. It had a copy of the page Star set afire and I ripped it out. Look in the back, I stuffed it in there."

The boy wonder opened the book to the back and sure enough, the missing page was there.

"Beast Boy, I can't believe I'm saying this," said Raven in her normal monotone, "but you actually came through for us." In an undertone, "the world must be ending."

"Come on Rae, you know I'm a hero without peer."

"I didn't know you knew the word peer."

"Sure I do, it means to look at something. I'm a hero who doesn't even have to look at what he's doing." Raven rolled her eyes.

With the resumption of the normal banter between Beast Boy and Raven, the mood in the tent lightened considerable, despite the seriousness of Cyborg's mental condition. To some extent, that was the reason for the banter, both Raven and Beast Boy, without actually realizing it, were trying in their own way to ease Cyborg's mind.

Unfortunately, it was not Cyborg's mind that needed easing. While both Robin and Cyborg were looking at the chromatic couple with grins on their faces, Starfire was staring out into space. While she was by no means the detective Robin was, she had her own brand of intellect. She also had her own priorities which were very different.

The princess from the stars jumped to her feet shouting, "X'HAL! NO!" and sent an energy blast down at the floor. "Friends, we have to go, there is no time."

The other four looked at each other, "Star," inquired Robin, "what are you talking about? We're at a bit of a dead end until Carter or the ship resurfaces."

"We must find that ship, NOW!"

"Star, it's at sea, one ship in the entire ocean is almost impossible. Especially if they are trying NOT to be found."

"Still we must try and we must succeed. AND WE MUST GO NOW!"

"Look, Starfire," continued Robin, "I know I said we would look for R'yleh, but right now Cyborg needs attention."

"I am sorry about that, but this has to take precedence. Maybe Raven can take Cyborg back to the tower and join us later, we MUST LEAVE!"

At this, Raven interrupted, "Starfire, what is so important that it needs to be done right now?"

Starfire took a deep breath. "I have learned much from my time on your world, especially from you Robin. You have told me in investigating a crime to focus on three things: Means, Motive and Opportunity. I have just been applying your methodology."

"The Esoteric Order of Dagon, and the town of Innsmouth, worship Great Cthulhu. Therefore they have the Motive. They have a ship and know where the sunken city of R'yleh is." Robin started at that. "At least, they suspect they know, assuming it is on earth. That is the Opportunity."

"Now," continued Starfire, "you have shown me that they had the page that contained the ritual for reviving dead Cthulhu AND A SCHOLAR WHO CAN READ IT! That is the Means."

"It is too late to evacuate the earth. We must find the Order of Dagon and stop them. Before they do the unthinkable and raise Great Cthulhu."

The silence that dropped on the other four titans was frightening in its totality. While they actually had no true concept of Cthulhu, or the dangers raised by his existence, the single-mindedness that characterized Starfire's behavior gave them pause. The eternally happy princess's entire demeanor had changed. Anything that generated this had to be of major significance.

"Starfire," began Raven, "there's no way. The ocean is too large, there's too much to search. How could we find a ship that we have no idea of where it is? It could still be in the Atlantic, or worse yet, in the South Pacific, the largest ocean on earth."

"Yeah Star, it took Gilligan almost twenty years to be found, and he was on an island. This is a small ship." Beast Boy piped up.

Raven looked at the green hero and let out a groan, "Don't try to help. That was just a TV show." Pausing for a moment, she continued, "Even so, it gives a good example of the challenges facing us."

"Nevertheless," the heroine replied, "It MUST be done, or all existence will come to an end."

"Assuming that R'yleh is on earth," finished Raven.

"There might be a way." Robin interrupted. This time it was the other four titans' turn to stare at him. He was pacing furiously back and forth, thinking, considering their options.

"Dude, you've got to be kidding. You can find a small ship in the OCEAN?"

"Hmm, no, but maybe we can find the island and beat them there."

"Robin," said Raven, there's no guarantee there is an island, or that we can find it somewhere in the vast Pacific."

"No, but we have a slender lead. Remember that letter from the first mate? In it, he said the cult was looking for a lost city that had the location of their sacred island. He even gave the general location of the city. It's easier to search for one city, and possibly learn the island's location that go through the entire Pacific."

"And what about rust bucket over here," interrupted Beast Boy. "We can't leave Vic in his current state. We gotta get him some help. Cthulhu or not, Cyborg's our immediate priority."

"Perhaps Raven could take our friend back to the Tower and the two of you could meet us later in our search? I do not wish to seem cold, but Great Cthulhu is a danger to all that lives everywhere. There is no time left."

"Whoa, time out folks." For the first time, Cyborg entered the conversation. "I'm not going anywhere and leaving you guys stranded."

Raven turned to him, "Victor, this is your mind! If we don't reboot your memory, you might suffer permanent damage."

"That's a chance I'll have to take. Maybe we can find some way to erase part of my memory later. Maybe this will come in handy at some point. But there is NO WAY I'm leaving you to face this alone."

The determination on the cybernectic teen's face was such that, although all of his friends wanted to talk him out of it, they could see it was hopeless. Their only chance was speed and the hope that somewhere, somehow, they could help their friend with the horrors that were invading his mind.

"All right Bird Boy," Beast Boy continued in a rather sullen temper. The thought of his best bud going through major mental damage upset him. "Where do we go?"

Rifling through the journal, Robin picked out the coordinates, "76° 15' 113° 10'"

"Yeah, and for those of us who DON'T know everything?"

"Antarctica, or as Eliot put it, the frozen land. If I remember correctly, there's a very large mountain range in that area, little explored. Anything could be hidden there."

"Wonderful," spat Beast Boy in disgust, "you know how many forms I can take in that temperature? Not many. No flying, no large animals, the only birds I can use are penguins. Hope we don't run into anything down there. It'll be too cold to fight them."

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

And now, we begin our third arc. Lovecraft did not write any 'real' novels. At best he wrote some long novellas or short novels. The best of the short novels is considered one of the best horror novels ever written, "At the Mountains of Madness". We will be traveling there next on our journey through the works/worlds of Lovecraft. Prepare yourselves.

Meanwhile, while the total number of hits for this story increased a couple of weeks ago, boy, have they slowed down now. Only 13 hits for that last chapter. Still, of the 13, five left reviews/comments. I'm thrilled to have such dedicated readers. Even if it gets down to only one, I promise, I will finish the story.

On to the reviewers,

ForceIsStrongWithThisOne – Believe it or not, I had this little letter planned out almost from the beginning. And the ending (suicide) is consistent with many of Lovecraft's protagonists.

Emotionalpoemgirl – Yep, got it in one. Still, that doesn't quite answer the question of 'Where IS everyone?' We're done with Innsmouth, but not with the Esoteric Order of Dagon.

DownwardSpiral1 – Figured SOMEONE would get the reference. Glad you're enjoying this. Outside of the fight between BB & Robin, these three chapters have been my favorites so far.

Novus Ordo Seclorum – Wondered what happened to you. Glad you're back. OK, the time for clues and explanations is done. We know what's happening and why. Now it's time for the pursuit, a race against time through the worst of Lovecraft (not quality, but in terms of horror) to stop the rise of Cthulhu.

Flood125 – Glad you're enjoying this as well. I think I have a surprise or two in store along the way. As for whether or not Cthulhu rises, we shall see.

Until next time my friends, sleep well.


	18. Chapter 18

I do not own anything relating to the Teen Titans.

Opening the Closet Door a Crack – Chapter 18

Xxxxxxxxxx

Over the protestations of Starfire, who wanted to leave immediately, the titans decided to camp there for the night. It had been a long, extremely stressful day and most everyone was worn out. At dawn tomorrow, they would depart for the most inhospitable of continents. An atmosphere of solemnity had descended over the group as the prospect that Starfire presented infused the teens with a combination of fear and uncertainty. Compounding this was the revelation that their friend was falling once again under the influence of malign forces, only this time, without the ability to reverse the process.

Raven, as was her wont, was meditating in her tent. While she had not been directly involved in the confrontation with the Order, the emotional signatures that infused the town from its history were a strain on her. The very stones of the town gave off auras of evil that had demanded a constant attention and the maintenance of a protective barrier in her mind. After a little more than an hour, her psyche had been drained of the emotional overload of Innsmouth and she was able to focus more on both the prospects of the coming excursion and the immediate problems of her compatriots. Her eyes snapped open and one thought came to the fore.

Cyborg.

Unfolding herself from the lotus position, Raven left her tent and made her way to the tent of the robotic titan. Stopping outside the tent flap, Raven said softly, "Cyborg, may I come in?"

The voice responding to her didn't come from inside. Instead, off to the side of the tent, in the clearing, Cyborg said, "Raven, I'm over here."

He had been looking up at the stars, staring at them in contemplation. Raven moved over to his side and looked at him. "This doesn't seem quite in character. You're usually in the garage tinkering when you need to think."

"Well, there's no garage here. My baby's back at the tower. And there's nothing else to do." He lapsed into silence. After a few moments, Raven responded.

"Victor, are you sure about this? I could still have you back at the tower in a few moments and hooked up for rebooting. We could rejoin the Titans later."

Cyborg didn't answer for a few moments, then, with a sigh, he began to speak. "Thought about that Raven. Couple of problems though." Raven lifted her eyebrows. "First off, it'll take at least ten hours, closer to twelve this time, to do a full reboot. Do you know what will happen during that time?"

The question startled her. How was she to know the future? Without waiting for an answer, Cyborg continued.

"Well, first off, the other three will get some sleep, say six hours. Then they'll eat, say an hour. Then they'll load up the T-Jet and head south. That should take about three to four hours, depending on wind currents and how fast they can get to a suborbital level. That puts it ten to eleven hours from now. Assuming that everything goes right, we could rejoin them at that time. Can you use your portal to rejoin the T-Jet in flight?"

Stunned at the prospect, Raven responded. "No, not without knowing exactly where they are. A moving target would be difficult if I didn't know the exact trajectory, and had a little luck."

Nodding, Cyborg continued, "Yeah, that's what I thought. OK, in the most likely scenario, the Titans land at their destination in eleven hours and I'm still out for another 30-60 minutes. That gives them about an hour before there's any chance that we could rejoin them, assuming you can find them right off at a location you've never been and haven't seen. Do you really see either Robin or Star waiting for us, given the circumstances?"

Raven's stomach sunk at the prospect. Cyborg continued, "Starfire has been chomping at the bit to go after these people. And you know Robin, he'd either give in to her or, most likely, lead the pack in his obsession to solve this case."

She let out a long breath. That sounded exactly like her teammates.

"Finally," Cyborg said. "Have you noticed in this case that things happen fast? At the Tower, everything happened within minutes. At Arkham, we had the episode at the library within twenty minutes. Then, in Innsmouth, within an hour we were at the Order's headquarters."

"What makes you think this will be any different? If everything goes the way it has, those three will be up to their necks in trouble within thirty minutes. We've had all these problems with the five of us. Down to three, they could be in serious trouble."

"I'm not going to take that chance. Even if it puts me at some risk. Hell, BB couldn't change from what you said, but he wasn't going to desert us. You think I'm going to let that little grass stain get one up on me?"

"Victor, this isn't some contest between you and Beast Boy! This is your mind, your very sanity!"

"The point is," interrupted Cyborg, "I'm not going to desert you guys any more than he was. I'm just going to have to risk it. Who knows, maybe after this is all over the boys at StarLabs will have a solution and be able to wipe my memory. I just dabble in computers. They're the experts."

"One way or another," continued Cyborg, "I'm going. And now to put an end to this, I'm going inside and shutting down for the night. No matter what happens after that, there's no going back. Good night Raven." He turned and made his way back to his tent.

Before he entered, Raven said, "You've thought this all out haven't you?"

With a bit of a rueful smile to her, Cyborg replied, "Well, I had a bit of help. BB was here half an hour ago trying to talk me out of it just like you have. I had a chance to practice against him. I'm going in before either Star comes by and starts crying or Robin tries to order me back. Night."

"Oh, and you might want to check on BB, he wasn't at all happy with me." With that, Cyborg entered his tent and began the preparations for his shutdown and recharging.

For a moment or so after her friend entered his tent, Raven stood there, watching, considering. In her mind she weighed the alternatives, simply kidnapping Cyborg and bringing him to the tower whether he wanted to or not, versus the scenario he presented.

"_Oh Azar, he's right. Damn. This mission has been far more difficult than any of us expected. Almost wish I was tackling Mallah again. At least I knew what he was capable of."_ She sighed. Turning back towards the other tents, she began walking towards her tent. Before she got there, she found another titan staring up at the stars. _"What is this, astronomy night?"_ she thought.

Starfire.

Over the last week, the bubbly, eternally happy princess had changed considerably. Now she was brooding, somber. Obviously, the weight of their mission had played its part on her as well. While not affected by the malignancy of what they had encountered, she was also the only one who knew the full ramifications of their mission.

Only she really knew about Cthulhu. From the time she was aware, she had been raised, trained as a warrior. The warnings that were drummed into every child stayed with her as with all galactic children.

Cthulhu fhtagn.

Cthulhu waits.

So, she was staring up at the stars, looking for her home planet of Tamaran, trying to gain some small measure of comfort from knowing that she was protecting her people, all people. It was a weighty responsibility, one made difficult by the ignorance of the humans who surrounded her. Still, she was with her dearest friends, fellow warriors who would also stop at nothing to prevent Cthulhu's rise, even if they did not know in all of its full horror what that would mean.

"Starfire, are you going to speak to Cyborg about his decision?" Raven asked.

The princess of Tamaran did not stop gazing upward. "No. I respect his decision. Friend Cyborg is doing what is necessary to stop these evil people. I will not tell him not to do his duty as he sees fit."

"And if he loses his sanity as a result?" Raven was a bit surprised at how callous the girl was.

"Raven, we are all pledged, throughout the civilized galaxy, to sacrifice our lives, our families, our worlds, to prevent the rise of Cthulhu. Any of us, all of us, are expendable to stop that ultimate horror."

Seeing that she would get nowhere with Starfire on this topic, Raven asked about another matter troubling her. "How is Robin? Have you seen any signs of possession in him?"

The orange girl lowered her gaze and sighed. "I do not know. He has withdrawn into his tent again. I tried to speak with him, but he is shutting me out. I know that he has taken Dr. Carter's journal and all of his notes with him. I suspect that he is examining these works for additional clues as to what will happen and what to expect when we leave tomorrow."

"Did you ask him about voices? Has he been affected by the statue like Cyborg was?"

Starfire paused for a moment before answering. "I have asked him. But, he insists that he is unaffected by the influences of the books and objects that are causing so much distress to "Cyborg and Beast Boy."

"Do you believe him?"

At first, Raven did not think Starfire would answer. Then quietly, almost too quiet to hear, Starfire replied, "I do not know. I would like to think Robin is telling the truth. But, he has hidden things from us before. And his interest in Dr. Carter and the Order is starting to resemble his obsession with Slade."

"I will continue to hold an eyeball against him."

Raven looked at her friend for a moment, processing that last statement. Then it clicked. "Keep an eye on him, you'll keep an eye on him."

"That is what I said." Raven gave one of her faint smiles to her friend. Earth idioms were still a mystery to her, and a constant delight to her friends.

"In that case, I'm going to check on Beast Boy and make sure he's ok." The grey girl turned to go.

"Raven." There was some urgency in Starfire's voice. "Please be careful."

The purple haired girl turned back to her friend. The note of caution regarding their teammate was highly unusual. "Why?"

Starfire paused again. "Today, Beast Boy badly frightened me. You do not remember, but when he was the Beast last year, he was mighty enough to defeat all of us together. Regardless of your opinion of him, he may be the strongest of all of us. He moves and changes at the speed of thought. Only Robin can operate that quickly and Beast Boy can be far stronger and is far more versatile. Today, when he came out of your portal, the look in his eyes, the tensing of his body for attack, all of it made me remember his time as the Beast. I do not think that he is becoming that creature again, but I would be remiss not to remind you that if he is possessed, or if the Outer Gods are gaining control over him, he could be most formidable."

The seriousness that characterized Starfire was startling to Raven, the subject more so. She considered her next words carefully. "That's partly why I want to check up on him Starfire. If the malign influences of these Outer Gods are affecting him, we'll need to know what we're up against." Starfire seemed relieved at the thought.

"In that case, I will go to sleep now. I wish to be ready for tomorrow. This unknown city in your southern continent worries me and I wish to be ready for battle. Good night Raven."

"Night Starfire." Raven watched her girlfriend go to her tent. _"Wow, that was disturbing. Never thought I'd be nostalgic for the eternally happy Starfire. Azar, these people are so depressing they're making ME look cheerful. I'd never tell him, but at this point, I'd almost be willing to hear one of Beast Boy's terrible jokes, ANYTHING to change the mood."_

With that thought, Raven remembered that she wanted to check up on her verdant teammate. Beast Boy's tent was somewhat more distant than the others, segregated by choice. When they were out in the field on a mission, BB liked to be closer to nature. While he enjoyed living in the tower with his friends, there were times his instincts yearned for the outdoors. Especially when he was troubled.

As Raven glided over to Beast Boy's tent, she heard the teen's voice say to her, "I'm over here, Raven"

Looking around, Raven didn't see anyone. "Where are you?"

"Down here." There, about twenty feet from his tent, Beast Boy was lying on his back looking up at the stars.

"Seems like the night for everyone to be star gazing. I found Cyborg and Starfire doing the same thing." Raven drifted over to Beast Boy. "I've been wanting to ask you, are you all right after today? You were near that statue just like Cyborg and when you got out of the Order's headquarters you looked terrible."

"Awww, Rae, you care." Beast Boy tried to joke. She could hear in his voice that his heart wasn't really in it and he lapsed into silence once more. After a moment, he rose to a sitting position and she seated herself next to him.

"Raven, I wanted to kill them. I didn't just want to defend myself, I wanted to attack them, tear them to pieces. Their sheer existence was an abomination to my animal senses. It took everything I had to keep focus."

"But you didn't."

"RAVEN, I DON'T KILL. I'm a pacifist, a vegetarian. The only reason for violence is to protect those who are helpless." The changeling took a breath, "It seems the more exposure my animal instincts get to these creatures, the more violent they get. And animals do NOT understanding the finer points of ethics. They only understand fight or flight. And it seems that fight is winning more and more. And by fight, I mean kill."

This entire conversation was stunning to the Azerathean, Beast Boy talking ethics? She always thought him rather superficial. That his vegetarianism stemmed solely from his ability to morph into the animals that most humans used for food, the idea that there was a deeper ethics behind his behavior was revelatory to the girl.

"Still, you didn't kill. Did you even attack them?"

"No, well, not really. I had to hit a couple of them to get to your portal. But it was just to make a path, not to hurt them."

"Then you were still in control."

"For the moment."

There seemed no response to that. So Raven changed the subject. "Have you been hearing the voices again?"

At that, Beast Boy issued a rather bitter, mocking laugh. "No, they're gone completely. Seems that the more my animal instincts kick in, the less those influences have over me. They really don't seem to have any real influence over the animal world. That statue meant nothing to me. Other than it is one REALLY ugly statue."

"Have you thought that, maybe, the reason your animal instincts are becoming more powerful is because they are trying to protect you?"

Beast Boy thought about that for a moment. "Good possibility. Hadn't thought of it like that. Still, that doesn't help when the impulse to kill comes through." He lapsed into silence again.

"Rae, would you do me a favor?"

"Only if you stop calling me Rae."

"I'm serious. If you see me lose control and try to kill someone or something, please stop me. Any way you can. Even if it means killing me. I couldn't live with the thought that I'd killed someone. There's been too much death in my life."

That last pronouncement stunned Raven. Beast Boy NEVER talked about his past. She still knew very little about him. "What do you mean?"

"I don't want to talk about it right now. Just promise me you'll stop me."

While Raven avoided using her empathic abilities on her teammates, unless it was inadvertent, this last revelation was more than her curiosity could handle. Extending her empathic senses towards her friend, she tried to focus on him, on what he was feeling, on why he made that strange statement about death.

There was no response. With an internal start, Raven realized that Beast Boy, remarkably, controlled his emotions as much as she did. And was just as secretive as Robin.

What was in his past that caused him to be so private? This last statement regardTing death in his past was said in a serious, somber tone that precluded questioning. Raven said the only thing she could.

"Yes, if that's what you want, I'll stop you any way I can. But I won't kill you. There has to be another answer."

The emptiness that was Beast Boy's emotions lessened at that. He let out a long breath. "Well, I'll take that for a promise. Hopefully, neither of us will regret this." He paused. "Rae, Raven, how are you? You've been taking on so much over the past week, worrying about all of us. Are you ok?"

Once again, the question brought a shock to the young magician. Was it only a week since Dr. Phillips visited the Tower? In that time, the titans had been exposed to horror beyond measure and were now attempting to stop the complete destruction of the universe. How was she supposed to feel?

"I'm….I'm….." she stopped. "I don't know how I am."

Beast Boy put his hand on her shoulder. "Raven, if there's anything, anything at all I can do, I will. Please take care of yourself." While Raven couldn't see his face, the earnestness in his voice conveyed his sincerity.

"Thanks. I will. I think, however, I'm going to need to meditate some more. The emotional unrest that all of you are showing is starting to affect me. A couple of hours meditation, then some sleep should help. Good night Beast Boy." At that Raven rose from her seated position and began to drift away towards her tent.

"Night, Rae." Beast Boy replied. He lay back down on the grass and continued to watch the stars, wondering at his life, his future and his fate. Finally, exhausted by the day, he fell into a dreamless sleep.

The following morning, quietly, with little fanfare, the Titans packed up and got aboard the T-Jet, setting a course for the southernmost continent. And a rendezvous with destiny.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Admittedly, I was a bit slow in getting this chapter up. First off, I got busy (housework, Granddaughter's birthday). Then, the SAME DAME VIRUS that knocked out my computer three weeks ago hit me again. Fortunately, I was able to partially stop it and a good friend of mine who's a programmer was able to finish cleaning it out after only four days, instead of two weeks. So, I'm back in business.

HOORAY, I broke 2000 hits for the story (no, not in one month, for the entire four months I've been writing it). This is, almost, my most successful tale. Admittedly, it's two and a half times longer than my last story, but that's beside the point. My most humble thanks to everyone who continues to read this lengthy tribute to HP Lovecraft.

On to the reviews.

ForceIsStrongWithThisOne – The hits, obviously, seem to be returning. As you say, on to Antarctica. It was delayed one chapter because I felt it necessary to reassess the status of the individual titans. If you've noticed, I did this sort of chapter after each of the last two arcs (Introduction/Necronomicon, Arkham. I believe it important to continue to show the influences that this mission is having on our heroes. By the by, REALLY enjoying Mirror (hey, that's a heads up to anyone who may be reading mine but not, unbelievably, Force's story).

Kenzie-Cat – Glad you're enjoying this. As I said earlier, Lovecraft had a plot device at times to utilize letters and journals to move the story along. He wrote in the 20's and 30's, so no internet. Still, it IS effective, isn't it?

ThingOne – Yep, we're heading to one of BB's favorite spots. As for what will happen to Cyborg, well, what will happen to all of the Titans? Hopefully, I'll keep you guessing until the last minute.

Emotionalpoemgirl – You raise some good points. I've incorporated part of an answer in this chapter (my dedication to you). Because you ARE correct. Raven could have brought him back to the tower. I had to think fast on why that wouldn't work. As for Antarctica wildlife, there are no large animals that can survive there, only three penguins (although I DID find one bird that flies in the region, a Snow Petrel, goes to show you how various terran life is) and some seals. Underwater creatures (whales) will NOT be of much use in the next arc. You'll see why. THANK YOU for your comments (and making me do my homework).

Novus Ordo Seclorum – You know, I'm really happy to see you enjoy my chapters. Hopefully, I can keep the streak going. Sorry to correct you though, the titans are heading to Antarctica to actually FIND the island the Esoteric Order of Dagon is heading for. My apologies for any confusion. Yes, I just said that the Order is NOT in Antarctica, don't worry there are other factors in that forbidding land.

As always my friends, I appreciate your comments and kindness, until next time, sleep well.


	19. Chapter 19

I do not own anything relating to the Teen Titans.

Opening the Closet Door a Crack – Chapter 19

Xxxxxxxxxx

The flight to the most forbidding continent on earth was silent as each titan remained lost in their own thoughts. As Cyborg had forecast the previous night, the flight took around four hours as the T-Jet was able to utilize a rather quick suborbital trajectory to enable the crew to make their way around the globe.

And so, in the late morning, the titan's T-Jet came down out of the clouds into the darkness of Antarctica. The darkness was both figurative and literal. Early September, although the tail end of summer in the northern hemisphere, is the tail end of winter on the continent. Darkness had covered the land for months, many of them in total darkness as the sun did not rise during this time. This was the time when the continent was largely abandoned. Scientists who researched the continent left before the bitterest time arrived. There was a reason this was the coldest spot on the planet. There was little sun for half a year, it is covered in snow and ice that had not melted for millennium, nay, for millions of years. It was a continent covered in mountains, therefore, it was elevated, making it even colder. Much of the continent remained to be explored. Other than a few mountains that intrepid mountaineers attempted, and some scientists and explorers, the vast wasteland that was the planet's southernmost continent was largely unexplored. Oh, it had been mapped out from space and plane. But down on the ground, there were large stretches that had never seen the foot of man.

Into this unknown darkness, the titans ventured.

Aiming for the coordinates that were set down in Eliot's letter, the T-Jet flew on.

"Looking over the terrain that Eliot wrote about, we're going to head for the Continental High Plateau, that's the general region in the area. There's two different mountain ranges that could be where Marsh went." Robin began. "Almost dead on those coordinates is the Kohler Range. Problem is, they're pretty small, only a couple thousand feet. They're also plateaus and volcanic. Logically, it doesn't seem as if they would have presented the kind of difficulties to Marsh that he couldn't have climbed up. They're pretty tame."

"TAME?" shouted Beast Boy, "IN THIS WEATHER?"

"Well, I'm assuming he went during the summer months down here. In the winter, just walking around here is an adventure. Besides, Eliot mentioned the temperature was about 5°. That's definitely not winter weather here. More like mid spring. In some areas of the continent, the temperature gets noticeably above freezing. Problem is the Continental High Plateau doesn't usually get that warm, not even in the summer. Almost never gets near 0, let alone about it.

"And the second mountain range?" interrupted Raven, before Beast Boy could start up and argument again.

"That would be the Crary Mountains. They're on the same basic line, but a bit closer to the pole. Now THOSE are mountains. Mount Frakes is the tallest, about 12,000 feet. Mt. Steere is next at 11,700 feet. They're largely unexplored. Anything could be hidden up there. If there is a lost city, it would certainly be more logical to put it there rather than on top of a volcano, which would be the Kohler Range."

"Oh joy," sulked Beast Boy, "You know how thin the air is up there? We're talking over two miles above sea level. Not to mention that it's COLD! It's the coldest place on earth. Did I mention IT'S COLD!"

You could practically see the steam coming out of Robin's ears. Before the explosion hit, Cyborg said, "Yeah BB, I think you mentioned it a couple of times. Do you know how well metal reacts to cold? Not well. And my skin is grafted to it. So I don't want to hear about it."

Although the titans could hear Beast Boy grumbling, it seemed his complaining was tapering off. Robin continued. "One thing we won't have to worry about is storms. This region is classified as a desert."

"Desert?" interrupted Starfire, "But are not your deserts covered in sand and rock?"

"Starfire," continued Robin, "Deserts are a classification used to describe the amount of precipitation a region gets. Most earth deserts are in regions where there is a lot of sun, so the ground turns to sand and rock. In this case, there's very little sun, so there's no sand. This area get's only an inch or less of precipitation in a year."

"Yo, only an inch of snow? Where'd it all come from then?" Beast Boy was honestly curious about this.

"Add an inch every year for thousands of years, with little or no melting, it adds up. Still, the winds can be fierce up here and will blow what little snow and ice exists. And just in case Beast Boy hasn't mentioned it," Robin smirked, "it'll be a little chilly. We're at the tail end of winter here and the average temperature will be about 85° below zero."

"Can't we come back in the summer?" Beast Boy whined.

"Sure, the temperature will be a balmy, 25° below zero in about four months. Much better. Unfortunately, we need to be here now." Beast Boy began to grumble again under his breath.

"That is right, friend Beast Boy, there is no time to waste. If we are to stop the rise of Great Cthulhu, we must find sunken R'yleh. Robin, where do we begin the search? How long will this take? The Esoteric Order of Dagon may be there at any minute."

"I've given it some thought. We should probably head for the highest point. Defensively, any city should be situated on the highest point to repel invaders. Therefore, we should make for Mount Frakes."

"Yeah? And how are we supposed to SEE anything? It's dark. Cyborg can't even use the sensors because there's nothing down that that isn't COLD!"

Robin began to lose it. "If you don't shut up about the cold I'm going to eject you over the pole. I KNOW IT'S COLD! THIS IS OUR ONLY LEAD! SHUT UP!"

"Umm, guys? Despite his complaining, Beast Boy has a point. (I can't believe I just said that.) How are we going to find Mount Frakes and investigate?" interrupted Raven, trying to head off what appeared to be a major blowup between the two.

Between gritted teeth, Robin replied, "We're just going to have to fly on instruments. The US Geological Service has mapped out most of the continent. I have the coordinates for Mount Frakes and we can simply fly there. Once we get there, we'll use the radar to look for an area to land. After that, it'll probably take a bit of time to locate this city, if it even exists."

Xxxxxxxxxxx

The city exists. For uncounted millions of years it had lain there, hidden in the crevices beneath the ice and snow of Antarctica. Long before mankind had begun its long evolutionary journey, it had been there. It had seen dinosaurs come and go and had lain there. Long before the continent had settled into its current resting place at the southern point on the planet it had lain there. Its building had occurred when there were only two continents on the face of the earth and its location had been chosen for the warm tropical climate as the beings who had lived there could not handle the cold. Still, that was not the issue at the time, as most of this young planet was still tropical.

And so, the city was built. The beings made use of the native materials, but they used their own construction methods, and their own geometry. These beings had come from a far different background than young mankind. Whereas mankind's fundamental perception of reality is grounded in Euclidian geometry, these beings were from a far older, more advanced civilization, one for whom Euclidian geometry was for children. And so, they constructed their city based upon foundations for which mankind has no understanding, and no ability TO understand.

Perception. Change a person's perception of reality and you tamper with their fundamental awareness and ability to deal with reality. Hence, the appeal, and ultimate terror, of funhouses where on a limited basis, mankind can expose himself to mind altering changes in perception and reality. But, there's always an exit.

What happens when there are no exits, and everywhere you turn, reality is not what it seems? It doesn't have to be a large change. In fact, sometimes the smallest changes are the most disturbing. The unconscious mind sees things that its conscious awareness does not register. Sometimes, the circle does not add up to 360°, sometimes the four corners of the room only add up to 359°. For mankind, that way lay madness.

And so, the titans venture into those mountains of madness.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The darkness was near complete around the Crary Mountains. While early March was reaching the point where the sun was considering rising any week now, deepest night still lay over the continent. Although the sky was clear, there was no appreciable light given by stars or moon. Making use of their instruments, the adventurers flew towards the mountains at a slowing pace in order to examine the region and look for a possible landing area.

Robin piloted the ship towards the largest mountain in the area. Looming over the plateau, Mt. Frakes was joined by its brethren. Like an older brother who just slightly exceeded his younger siblings, the mountain top was less than a football field higher than the neighboring peaks. Yet it was enough. As Robin began to circle the craggy top, Cyborg began utilizing the radar instruments to see if anything below them bore a resemblance to a city.

The examination was painstakingly time consuming, as is all detailed work. After about an hour of circling the mountaintop in an ever widening band, Cyborg spoke.

"Rob, break off and head northwest towards Mount Steere."

"Do you see something?" he replied.

"Not sure. I'm getting odd readings on the radar. There are a number of square level areas and a number of odd shapes. Could be a plateau and a wall, could just be random boulders. But it's the closest thing I've seen yet."

"OK, altering course for the northwest."

A few minutes later, Cyborg broke the silence again. "Yeah, there might be something down there. I'm seeing a lot of flat surfaces, lot's of square patterns, a large open area. And some really weird shapes. Could be rocks from an avalanche or collapsed building, but it's not random…" his voice trailed off.

"Cyborg, are you saying we should try to land?" asked Robin.

Coming back to his senses, Cyborg replied, "Yeah, guess I am. This is the nearest thing I've seen yet."

"Where should we head?" asked Raven, "I'll need to know to prepare for landing if the terrain is at all uneven."

"OK, Rob, continue heading northwest for another 200 yards. Looks like there's a large open space there. Seems relatively flat on the radar."

Robin nodded. Slowly bringing the T-Jet to the designated area, he began to cut the motor and lower the ship to the ground. Raven let down the landing gear and took over the controls from Robin so that she could handle the delicate landing procedures, preparing for any disaster due to the wind and darkness.

The ship landed gently down on the plateau. "Wow, that was easier than I expected." Raven said. Looking at the ship's gyroscopes, this seems to be a perfectly flat surface."

"OK Titans," interrupted Robin, "Break out your thermal gear and prepare to leave the ship. It's only about 75° below zero, so brace yourselves."

"DUDE, I DON'T HAVE THERMAL GEAR! I can't morph with thermal gear. I'll be frozen in seconds if I leave the ship. Even if I morph into a polar bear, I'll freeze within minutes, they can only handle down to around 50 below."

Robin gave a disgusted look. "So why didn't you bring your thermal gear."

"Well genius, because when we left the Tower, we were going to New England in the summer. We've never BEEN to the Antarctica in the DEAD OF WINTER. So I had NO REASON TO PACK ANY! Besides, I don't even OWN thermal gear. Even when we fought Dr. Light in the Arctic, it was warm enough there that I could morph into an animal. NOTHING LIVES DOWN HERE EXCEPT PENGUINS. And they only survive in packs during the middle of winter. Unless you can find me some down here that I can huddle against for the next couple of months, I'M STUCK!"

And with that, Beast Boy folded his arms and began to sulk again.

The four other titans looked at one another. They hadn't quite realized the difficulties their green teammate was laboring under.

"Uhh, I guess that that fox you change into is also out?" Cyborg asked. Beast Boy nodded.

"Got it," exclaimed Robin. "Wooly Mammoth. They could probably handle these conditions." Beast Boy gave him a disgusted look. "Couldn't they?"

"Yeah genius, they could. And when we reach the city and try to enter a building, how do you suppose I'm going to get inside? Through a doggy door?" Robin looked a little sheepish at that. "I need a variety of animals, large and small, all to handle various situations. And it also means I can't morph back to human. No talking."

"Thank Azar for small favors." Muttered Raven

"So if I see or find something, I can't communicate it. Plus, if we set up camp inside, I CAN'T GET THERE TO GET WARM! I'm trapped outside if I stay a mammoth. Finally, how do I change into a mammoth? In here? I'd wreck the ship. If I step outside I'd freeze almost before I have a chance to morph."

Once again, the four other titans looked at each other. None of them had really considered this.

"Could Beast Boy borrow one of the other outfits?" asked Starfire.

"No, in these conditions, the suits are fitted to the individual. Any air or wind getting in the clothing would lead to frostbite. And since BB is smaller than the rest of us, it would far too roomy." Answered Cyborg.

"Could he change into a small animal or something, one of us could carry him." Suggested Raven.

"Still wouldn't work," replied Beast Boy. "I still have nowhere to go to. Basically, I'd just have to curl up in someone's pocket. And even there, I'd still have some exposure to the cold. And mice cannot handle the cold very long."

Robin pondered the issue. "OK, the only thing I can see at this point is for Beast Boy to stay here. We'll search the area. If it looks like we're in the right area and there IS a city here, we can look for an enclosed building to set up as a base camp. We'll come back to the T-Jet and get our equipment. Then after setting it up and getting the camp buildings warmed up, one of us can come back for Beast Boy."

He looked at his companion. "I'm sorry, I don't see anything else we can do at the moment."

Beast Boy stared at the titan leader. After a moment, he nodded. "Yeah, well, this'll give me time to get past level six on MegaMonkeys 4. I brought it on my portable gamestation."

"Yo, grass stain. Make sure you keep the generators on and the T-Jet warmed up. AND DON'T GO PRESSING ANY BUTTONS!" Cyborg said. Then, more softly, "Sorry pal, looks like you'll have to sit this one out for the moment." The girls made similar notes of sympathy. No one particularly liked to leave one of the team behind.

"OK Titans, move out." Robin issued the command and the four titans left the confines of the T-Jet, making their way into the night, leaving Beast Boy alone, in the dark of the Antarctica night.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

A bit different. More science than 'spooky' towns. Lovecraft wrote 'At the Mountains of Madness' in mid 1931, shortly after Admiral Byrd became the first person to fly over the South Pole. At that time, the continent was almost completely unknown. In the novella, these mountains were higher than the Himalayan mountains.

Of course, 80 years later we know there are no mountains of that size on the continent. But remarkably, there are extremely high mountains that are largely unexplored nearby. So I borrowed a bit and adapted. Lovecraft was also a bit careless regarding science, not realizing that the air would be incredibly thin at that altitude. I've, obviously, made allowances for that. In fact, almost all of the facts mentioned in this chapter are true, although I stretched a point or two occasionally for drama's sake.

My thanks to everyone who has been reading. Especially since it appears FanFiction had a hiccup over the past week and the last chapter would appear and disappear at will. Hopefully, whatever problems existed have been corrected and everyone can catch up.

Meanwhile, there were two intrepid readers who braved the FF craziness and were able to write a review.

ForceIsStrongWithThisOne – Scratch a clown and find a tragedy. I've always believed that there are tremendous hidden depths to BB. In fact, the show hinted on numerous occasions at such depths, as well as the reasons behind many of his actions. He is the most moral, and bravest, of the team. Who else do you see standing up to Terra, seconds from death and still trying to show her the consequences of her actions with no fear in his eyes.

Until next time my friends, sleep well.

Novus Ordo Seclorum – Orgasmic? Wow, glad that the chapter met with your approval. There will be two more 'end of the day' scenes that, I think, you'll enjoy. I'm very much enjoying bringing our two friends along on a slowly building romance. Fun times amidst the darkness. That reminds me, I really enjoyed 'Joke's On You'. Thought you were going to extend it beyond one-shot, but I see now that it's complete.


	20. Chapter 20

I do not own anything relating to the Teen Titans.

Opening the Closet Door a Crack – Chapter 20

Xxxxxxxxxx

The titans, sans Beast Boy, walked off into the gloom of the Antarctica night. As a safety precaution, Robin tied a thin cord to the T-Jet. In the dark, it would be easy to get lost. Starfire could fly straight up and orient herself that way and Raven could teleport somewhere, but in the event they became separated, Cyborg and Robin could easily become lost in the darkness. In addition, the numbing cold of the southernmost continent could lead to disorientation by any of them. It would be a disaster if any of them were to lose their direction in this weather, the body might not be found for months. So, three of them heavily bundled themselves against the frigid air and Starfire continued with her normal attire. The warrior from Tamaran could handle the absolute zero of space for a limited time, while this temperature was uncomfortable, it wasn't by any means life threatening. She would probably be good for a few hours before the chill would begin to affect her.

Nevertheless, the other three were feeling the cold. Even though each had every inch of their body covered to avoid frostbite, it was still cold, a body numbing, ever present cold that seeped into the bones. Because they were covered head to toe, Cyborg couldn't use his built in light beam and they were forced to rely on high powered flashlights. In the dark of night, the beams threw odd shapes and shadows all around, when they didn't simply disappear into the gloom of the Antarctica night.

Because of the need to cover all of their exposed skin, each Titan had their headphones underneath their hoods. There was no way they would expose their mouths to the cold and the heavy layers muffled all sound. Excepting Starfire, of course.

Holding onto the thin lifeline that was their only connection to the T-Jet, the titans, Robin in the lead, followed by Cyborg, Raven and Starfire, they began to walk. "Cyborg," Robin asked, "where did the sensors pick up any structures?"

"All around, this seemed to be a large flat surface surrounded by either walls or rock."

"Which direction is closest? We've got tons of cable, but walking in this will tire us pretty quickly. I would suggest that we only walk for half an hour before turning back if we don't find anything. An hour in this is about all I would recommend before we begin to show any effects from the cold."

Starfire had kneeled down to the ground and had began to dig through the snow cover. Although snow accumulated over the millennium, wind had seemed to keep the area relatively clear of deep cover. "Friends, if you can, look down."

This was impossible, due to the heavy layering, none of the other titans could so much as bend. "Starfire, what do you see?" asked Raven.

"We are walking on large blocks. You can see where the seams are between the stones. In your measurements, they appear to be 6 x 8 and are all very even."

"I think we found the city." Replied Robin in an understatement.

Despite the awareness that they were walking on a constructed floor, the darkness did not suddenly lift to enable the titans to find buildings. Shining their flashlights in various directions did not produce any sudden discoveries.

"Be nice if BB were here," offered Cyborg, "his eyesight's better than all of us. He could probably see in which direction to go."

"Well, he not here," grumbled Robin, "and we can't fan out otherwise we could lose track of each other in the night. Our communicators are working all right now, but with this cold, there's no guarantee that they'll continue to operate. I don't want anyone getting lost in this. Back to the original question, was any direction particularly better than another?"

"No."

And so they walked, slowly, in single file, holding on to the thin cord. Not only because their clothing prevented rapid movement, but also because of the ever present darkness. They had to be careful where they walked for fear of stepping through some chasm. More so, however, was oppressiveness of the dark. With the knowledge that they had found the lost city and the awareness that there were further mysteries surrounding this ancient ruin that had drawn Marsh and the Esoteric Order of Dagon, the darkness seemed almost alive, hungry.

"How far have we gone?" asked Raven after about twenty minutes.

"About 100 yards." Robin replied.

"THAT'S IT? Can't we go faster?"

"Not and maintain a measure of safety. Last thing we want to do is fall into a chasm, trip over a boulder or run into..oof." Robin stopped suddenly.

"A wall?" continued Cyborg, with just a hint of a smirk in his voice.

"Yeah, a wall."

The wall appeared suddenly out of the gloom. Even with the light, the swirling snow, disturbed by the wind, had hidden it from their approach. Examining it with his flashlight, Robin could make out only that there was a wall, the top of which disappeared off into the night. It was flat, perfectly flat and stretched off in either direction as far as could be made out, which admittedly wasn't far.

"Do you see anything to either side?" asked Cyborg.

"No, completely flat, no openings that I can make out. Just a humungous wall. Well, which way, left or right?"

"What is that rhyme that Beast Boy says to pick a direction?" asked Starfire.

"Good a way as any, I guess." Responded Raven. Starting with the right, she intoned in her monotone, "Eeny Meeny Miny, Moe. Guess we try to the left."

"Wonderful," replied Robin under his breath. "OK, left it is." Leading the way, Robin slowly walked with his right hand against the wall, the other three titans following him, each with their hands against the wall. It added some small level of comfort to feel the wall when they were lost in this cold, dark land with windblown snow swirling around them.

After about ten minutes, Robin stopped. "OK Titans, time to turn back. We've been out here about 30 minutes and we need to make sure that we're back to the T-Jet before any damage is done."

"Please Robin, I am fine and wish to go on. I am sure that the others would like to continue in our search." Starfire pleaded.

"Starfire, I know you could handle this, but 'regular' humans can't handle this temperature. We need to give ourselves a measure of safety so that we can get back."

"Yo Robin, can't we give it another five minutes, what could it hurt?"

Robin continued walking along the wall while he responded. "What could it hurt? Frostbite, frozen or amputated body parts, hypothermia, any variety of ahhhhhhh."

"Robin!" shouted Raven, "What happened, are you all right?"

A moment or so passed before a response came through their communicators. "Yeah, I'm ok. This is either a doorway or a turn in the wall. Just fell down. Took me a moment to reorient."

"Can you see to the other side? Is it an entrance or a turn?" asked Raven.

A few moments passed, then Robin responded, "Almost looks like a doorway, I can almost make out another wall about six feet away. I've shone my light up and it looks like there's a support beam above me. I'd almost swear that it's a doorway."

"FRIENDS, Let us enter and explore. Perhaps the clues to the lost island are within."

"Starfire, much as I would like to agree. We need to go back. We can't survive in this environment much longer. Tell you what I will do." Robin said. "I'll plant a stake here and tie the other end of the line to it. That way, when we're ready to pick up the exploration later, we can make directly for this spot and be ready to go."

Although Starfire did not particularly like this course of action, the other two did. While neither Raven nor Cyborg would admit to it, they were feeling the cold. Although Cyborg did not have hands or feet, the metal that was his cybernetic components were frigid against his skin. Raven was having some difficulties feeling her toes at this point. Even though it would take about half an hour to get back, both were looking forward to the warmth.

Robin took out a sharp stake from his backpack and began the laborious process of pounding it into the ground. It was difficult as the ground was not only frozen, but continued to be these large blocks. He had to find a seam between the blocks so that the pinion could be braced. It took several minutes for Robin to secure the line to the pinion, but after several minutes, he said, "OK, it's braced. We should be able to find the doorway again when we resume our search. Time to get back to the T-Jet. Starfire, you're in the lead on this leg. Please follow the line back to the T-Jet. I know you can fly, but remember, most of us can't. Keep a sharp lookout for crevices that any of us might fall into."

"I will remember Robin." And with that, Starfire turned and began the slow, laborious trek through the dark back to the T-Jet. Starfire's pace was somewhat more rapid than Robin's as he was far more cautious than she was. Still, it took the titans about 25 minutes before they were close once again to the T-Jet. By this time, even Starfire was glad that the T-Jet was near and they could warm up as the ever present wind and cold was starting to affect her as well.

When Robin estimated they were within five minutes of the ship, he called out over his communicator "Beast Boy, do you read me?"

There was no response.

"Beast Boy, are you there, copy."

Still no answer.

"Yo, grass stain, stop playing with the gamestation and answer us."

Once again, there was no answer.

"Starfire, follow the cord and fly ahead to the T-Jet, make sure that Beast Boy is all right."

The Tamaranean warrior immediately let go of the line and began to fly at a quickened pace to the T-Jet. It took her less than two minutes to reach the craft. Quickly flying to the sector where Beast Boy usually inhabited. Starfire saw the green teen frantically trying to communicate with her. Over her communications device, she shouted out, "Friend Beast Boy, are you unharmed? Please speak to me."

No sound emanated from the teen. Speaking over her headset, the princess said, "Robin, come in. I have found Beast Boy, but am unable to communicate with him."

"Starfire, what's the problem, is he all right?"

"He appears to be unharmed. However, he is trying to communicate with me and I am unable to hear him. I do not know what is the matter."

"Starfire, reenter the T-Jet, we'll be there in a matter of moments."

Starfire opened the hatch to her section of the T-Jet and climbed in. Shutting the door, first thing she did was turn on the heat. The second thing was to open up the onboard communications system to talk to Beast Boy.

"Where have you guys been? I haven't heard anything out of you for almost an hour now."

This surprised Starfire. "We have been out exploring. You have not heard from us? We have not been silent."

"Dude, I was listening to the conversation and you guys just broke off contact. I've had nothing but radio silence for a while now."

"Please, let me contact Robin over my headset." Starfire put her headset back on. "Robin, can you hear me?"

"Starfire, what is it? Is Beast Boy there?" their leader's voice came over loud and clear on her headset.

"Yes, he is unharmed. We are having difficulties with the communications. It seems that the headsets are the only communication system still working."

"What are you talking about?" Cyborg's voice came through loud and clear.

"Friend Cyborg, Beast Boy said that for almost an hour now there has been no contact from us. He said that contact just broke off."

There was silence on the other end of the signal. "Wonder if something happened to the antenna? That's the only thing I can think of. We're just getting close to the T-Jet now. Rob, I'm going to go around to the side and look at the system. Star, check the communication diagnostics to see if everything is on line and call me back."

Starfire began to run a diagnostics check on the communication system. It would take several minutes for the entire system to run. Meanwhile, Raven and Robin were now getting on board the T-Jet through the lower hatches. The lower hatches had air locks so that the titans could get in and out of the ship under water or in space without flooding the entire ship or losing precious air in space. It also served to keep the bitter cold out. After going through the locks, the two titans began to remove their heavy clothes and began to warm up.

"Starfire," Cyborg's voice came over the headset. "Never mind the diagnostics, I found the problem. I'll be coming aboard in a couple of minutes, just have to make my way back to the hatch."

Puzzled, the princess turned off the diagnostics system. Beast Boy interrupted, "What's going on? Why'd you shut down?"

"I do not know. Cyborg said to stop running the diagnostics. Let us go down to the lower hatches and see if Robin knows anything about this."

The two titans left their compartments and made their way down to the lower hatches. They met up with Robin and Raven, who were desperately trying to get warm.

"Told ya it was cold."

"Shut up." Robin replied. "Starfire, what did the diagnostics say?"

"Robin, Cyborg said he found the problem and that I could stop running them."

The boy wonder reached for his headset again. Donning it, he called, "Cyborg, come in. Do you know what the problem is?"

"Yeah Bird Boy I do. I'll be in in a moment or two. Just need to make my way around this vent and I'll be at the hatch in a few minutes. I'll tell everyone once I get inside." With that, he signed off.

"So did you find anything out there?" Beast Boy said.

"Sort of," answered Raven. "We found a large wall and what looks like a doorway. By the time we found it, it was too late to do any exploring so we had to come back and get warm. And if you say ONE WORD about cold, I'll throw you through the hatch so you can experience it yourself." Beast Boy immediately cancelled what he was about to say.

Instead, he pursued a different tack, "What kind of wall?"

"It was made of large square blocks, same as the base that this entire area is made of. It was definitely designed and built." Beast Boy's eyes widened at this.

Before he could resume his questioning, the airlock opened once again and Cyborg came through. "Ohhh, that feels good." He began to remove his heavy clothing.

"Well, what's the problem?" asked Robin.

"Antenna's busted. Snapped right off. Could be from the cold and the wind. A bit of ice flying at just the right spot and the whole ensemble is gone."

"Can you fix it? Don't we have a spare?"

Cyborg looked at the boy detective. "Sure we have a spare. Got three of them. Mind telling me HOW I'm going to replace it wearing these huge gloves? Going to be difficult enough to get a base constructed if we can find a spot. Delicate electronic work, in this temperature, not going to happen, even assuming I could GET the panels open if they're not frozen."

"Damn!" The four titans looked at Robin. For him to curse like that was uncharacteristic.

"Robin, why is this a problem? Can we not continue to use our headsets?" Starfire inquired.

"Sure, we can use them to contact each other. The only problem is what happens if we need to contact the outside world."

It was then that the full realization hit the others. The antenna was their only means of communication beyond the confines of the ship. If there were any problems, if they needed assistance, there was no way to get a message out.

They were now effectively abandoned to the long, dark, cold of the Antarctica night with no way to get help, and no other human for thousands of miles.

And the night became colder, and darker.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

At the end of my last chapter, I mentioned that I was focusing a bit on science in that one. I did neglect another important area, specifically relating to Lovecraft. A key feature that Lovecraft returned to repeatedly was the concept of how geometry and perspective affected human beings. In some ways, he was ahead of his time in that studies really do show that people are affected by changes in perspective.

Lovecraft mentioned in numerous stories the influenced of Non-Euclidian geometry. For those of you who are not particularly familiar with the concepts, Euclid was a Greek mathematician who originally developed and wrote down the basic geometric rules and formulas. All that high school geometry is his fault.

While now, in the 21st century, we're developing a variety of geometric and mathematical fields that move well beyond these 'laws', they are still the basis behind all architecture.

What happens when the rules don't apply? Our friends will be finding out soon.

Meanwhile, I've now reached 2500 hits for the story and seem to have a consistent 35-50 readers for each chapter. My humble thanks to those of you who continue to follow my exploration of Lovecraft. Things will start to speed up in another chapter or so. I have to get them out of their ship and into the city. After that, all bets are off.

And as always, my special thanks to my reviewers,

Novus Ordo Seclorum – I am extremely grateful for your kind words. Is the story too slow building? Is the story, as you say, too over people's heads? Don't know. This is how I write stories. I find characterization far more interesting than action. (Don't worry, there will be PLENTY of action during the final arc of the story.) And the buildup of suspense is what I'm trying to emulate with Lovecraft. He's the real master.

SoulSeekerthe13th – Welcome back. If I go mad, I might gnaw off a finger or two, maybe a hand. Certainly NOT an entire arm (I don't get that hungry). You are correct, it is Elder Things, or Elder Ones. Thank Azaroth it's not the Elder Gods. Oh, and congratulations on your book. Please let me know the details. I am definitely interested in reading it.

ForceIsStrongWithThisOne – Glad you enjoyed it. Thought I'd throw a little suspense in here regarding BB being left alone. And there is plenty more to happen to him, and the others.

Until next time my friends, sleep well.


	21. Chapter 21

I do not own anything relating to the Teen Titans.

Opening the Closet Door a Crack – Chapter 21

Xxxxxxxxxx

The knowledge that they were cut off from the outside world dampened the titan's spirits considerably. While they were used to handling all manner of problems and crises on their own, without help, there's something chilling about being out of contact with the rest of the world. The unconscious knowledge that at the last extremity, you can call for help gives a certain level of comfort.

That comfort was gone now.

"Titans," Robin's voice interrupted their thoughts, "we'd better get some rest. We'll resume our exploration in about six hours. That will give each of us a chance to get some sleep, eat and warm up. NOT A WORD OUT OF YOU BEAST BOY!" The shapeshifter closed his mouth before even uttering a sound.

"Man, I could use a snooze. You don't realize how much work that is trudging through the wind and snow. Naptime for me."

"What are you talking about rustbucket, it's way too early for bed."

"Beast Boy, can't you see it's nighttime?" interrupted Raven, with just a hint of a smirk.

"Very funny. Do you how hard it is for me to stay awake right now? Every instinct I have is telling me to hibernate. If I sleep now, I might not wake up until spring."

Raven and Robin looked at each other, then turned to Beast Boy. "GO TO SLEEP!"

The changeling turned and stormed off back to his compartment, muttering the entire time.

The other four remained in the larger compartment. Without the hyperactive shapeshifter, it was quiet. You would think that with the discovery of the city, the four would be talking excitedly about their find. In this case, you would be wrong. Too much had happened in a short time, the destruction of the antenna, the looming presence of an unknown city, and the ever present night, all of it overlaid with the blowing wind and the bitter, frigid, numbing cold. Even though they had only been outside for little more than an hour, it had seeped into their bones and sapped their energy. All they could bring themselves to do was to sit quietly, eat and try to warm up.

Cyborg particularly looked exhausted. Far more massive than the others, fighting the elements was not what his cybernetic components were designed for. Electronics did not necessarily work well in this bitter cold, and metal tended to freeze, even with oil. At 75 below, oil tended to freeze as well. Furthermore, his human eye looked haunted, as if he were hearing something on the wind. Something that boded no good.

Robin and Cyborg both decided to catch some sleep, leaving the two girls alone. After a few moments of silence, Starfire spoke. "Does it not seem to you that tensions are rising again between Robin and Beast Boy? Friend Robin seems very short tempered regarding Beast Boy."

Raven was silent a moment, after considering, she answered, "Yeees, but I can understand why. Beast Boy tries my, umm, his patience in the best of times. With his constant harping on the cold and his constant activity, it's bound to get Robin upset."

"But," Starfire looked puzzled, "do you not understand Beast Boy's situation?"

"What do you mean?"

Starfire paused, trying to find the correct words in English that would convey what she wanted to say. "Beast Boy is active, is he not?"

"Over active if you ask me."

"And, he feels most strongly the urges of your earth creatures?"

Raven looked at Starfire, a curious expression was on her face. "Starfire, what are you trying to say?"

"Please forgive me if I do not say this properly, but, to be trapped in this ship, sealed away from the outside and from his friends, would that not be a torture for Beast Boy? Both you and he have said he strongly resembles a…uhhh…pack animal that needs to be around others with the freedom to come and go at his own desire."

Raven looked stunned.

"And, he knew this was coming. That is why he complained so much on our voyage down here. He knew he could not leave the ship. He knew there was nothing he could do. He did not bring up his difficulties, other than generally complaining about the cold. If you remember, he did not mention anything about his problems until he was asked to leave the ship."

Raven considered this. After a moment, she replied, "That's consistent with his entire history. He never actually SAYS anything about what's bothering him, he deflects it. Only when forced to the surface does he actually reveal anything about himself."

"In that respect, my friend, he is rather like Robin, is he not?"

Again, Raven was stunned. The realization that, once again, there were depths to Beast Boy that had yet to be fathomed was revelatory. While she accepted, along with the others, that Robin was secretive and hid much of his motivations, that Beast Boy was similarly driven was… disturbing.

The purple-haired maiden responded, "And what about Robin? What sense do you get out of him?" She was coming to realize more and more that although Starfire was naïve regarding earth and its ways, the princess was remarkably perceptive where her friends were concerned, possibly because she saw things as an outsider that 'regular' human beings would not consider.

Starfire considered, "I do not know. He seems, disturbed, easily upset. Normally, Beast Boy's behavior might irritate him, but it would not cause him to lose his composure. For him to be continually yelling at Beast Boy suggests something, but I am not sure what."

"Starfire, I think it is becoming critical that we watch the boys even more closely than before. All three of them are behaving oddly. This mission is affecting them in ways no one could have predicted. We need to be on guard."

The warrior from Tamaran looked pensive, and upset. "Raven, you are my only girl friend and you are my teammate and fellow warrior. But, I MUST ask you this. All of the boys are being affected by the influences of this mission. Are you feeling them as well?"

Raven lowered her head and considered before answering. It was several moments before she had the confidence to respond. "I don't think so. The Necronomicon tempted me sorely. Since then, I've felt no temptations, no influences. I suspect that it is because of my demonic heritage."

"What do you mean?"

How to put this in understandable language? "Temptation is something I have to live with daily. The dark part of my soul, my father's influence, is a constant source of temptation. That's one of the reasons why I meditate, to keep it under control. When I extended my senses and the horrid book was included, it overwhelmed my normal controls. So far, I've felt nothing comparable that could not be resisted. That's why whatever these voices that Cyborg is hearing and Beast Boy used to hear have had no impact on me." She paused for a moment, "Has Robin mentioned them to you?"

Starfire looked crestfallen, "Robin has almost completely shut me out of his life. It has now reached a point similar to his obsession with Slade. I do not know what to do any more. How can I help him if he will not make himself open to help?"

An unusual emotion came to Raven, pity. "I wish I had an answer. All I can suggest is that you keep watching him, be available to him and help him." The sorceress fell into a deep gloom. "I'm not sure we can help any of them."

"AND WHY NOT? Are we not warriors? Are we not their friends? Are we not MORE than friends? Whether you accept it or not, Beast Boy, Robin and Cyborg are our family. It is our DUTY to assist them, to help them. Nay, it is not our duty, it is the greatest part of us to help them. Would you not give everything to them, would you not give your life to them?" Throughout this speech, Starfire's emotions had been kindled, and the passion that drove her grew higher and fiercer with every word. By the end, she was standing up, arms raised, head up high, proud, tall, the epitome of the consummate warrior, all doubts erased, all of her being focused on the trials ahead.

Raven stared at wonderment at her friend. It was rare that Starfire let the warrior part of her being out. When it was exposed to the world, it was a marvel to behold. She felt ashamed of herself for her momentary doubt and weakness.

"Starfire," she replied, "I will deny ever saying this. And if you even HINT that I said this, I will send you to the darkest dimension I can find." The princess looked confused at this. "I love you. You really are one of a kind, the best kind." With that, Raven got up and hugged her friend. After a moment, she let go of the Tamaranean. "All right, enough sentimental claptrap. It's time to go to sleep. I'm tired."

Starfire laughed. It was wearied, but a laugh nonetheless. "Yes, I believe it is. Good night my friend."

"Good night Starfire."

And the two parted ways and went to bed.

Xxxxxx

Although there was no morning in September in Antarctica, for convenience sake, let us say that the next morning the titans awoke. The silence that had infused the team continued throughout the 'morning' meal. Even the normal argument between Beast Boy and Cyborg regarding real eggs versus tofu eggs did not occur. If anything, Beast Boy was more sullen than they had ever seen before.

"Look, Beast Boy," said Raven, for once breaking the silence. "Is there any way you could come with us? Don't think this is because I particularly WANT you around, but I'm sure you get bored in here. You once morphed into a single celled animal, couldn't you do that again? That way you could accompany us outside, protected by our body heat."

Beast Boy looked at his teammate, a wistful smile on his face. He appreciated the effort she had made to include him. To him, the fact that SHE had tried to include him made all the difference. "Wish I could, but a one-celled animal might be the most dangerous change of all."

At that statement, all of the Titans turned to the green teen. "What do you mean, green bean?" asked Cyborg.

"Look, there are a few single celled creatures that could live down here. OK, let's say I change to one. When I did it before and went inside you, I was with Gizmo and could communicate with him and him with you guys. I KNEW when I could change back. If I change to a one-celled animal, I have NO idea when it's safe and no way to communicate with you WHEN to know. I couldn't tell by body heat, unless you actually were freezing to death, then it would be too late. I couldn't even tell by time. What if you were delayed and not back within an hour? I could change back at the wrong time and freeze to death. I'm stuck here until we leave or until you find somewhere else for me to go." The depression that settled over his face was deeply upsetting to the others.

Furthermore, the revelation that their, supposedly, less intelligent teammate had considered all of these possibilities was startling to the other titans. Once again, Beast Boy had surprised them with his forethought and his awareness of alternatives and options. Or maybe, the surprise was lessened. It was almost becoming routine that Beast Boy would reveal a hidden depth that had previously been unknown.

"OK Titans," Robin broke the silence. "Beast Boy, you man the T-Jet." The changeling let out a grumble at that. "Everyone else, suit up. We'll head back to the point we left off yesterday."

"A few hours ago dude."

Robin held in his irritation. "Where… we…left…off…yesterday." He paused for a moment and gathered his thoughts, and his composure. "We'll make directly for that doorway and see what lies within."

At that point, Beast Boy left the group and went back up to his compartment. It was difficult to be around the others when he was the one always left behind. While Robin let out a sigh of relief, the others looked forlornly at the departing teen, wishing that he could be included in their camaraderie.

Bundling up once again, the three titans (and Starfire, who did not need to bundle up), left the T-Jet through the lower hatch. With Robin in the lead, they picked up the cord that had been left tied to their ship and began to make their long, laborious way back to the other end of the cord, through the cold, dark night.

They were able to make their way a bit quicker this time, heading directly for the unexplored doorway. With the knowledge there were no chasms, boulders or walls between the T-Jet and the doorway. Unfortunately, it was still dark and still bitterly, frigidly cold, the steady wind blowing the snow and ice all around, cutting visibility to only a few feet, if that. After roughly fifteen minutes, the doorway appeared suddenly out of the darkness. Bidding them entry to deeper darkness.

"Titans, hold up a moment," the boy wonder announced. "I'm going to tie another cable onto the pinion, that way we'll be able to find our way out if there's more than one passage."

"I thought you never got lost?" asked Cyborg.

"I don't. But do you want to take the risk of being stranded out here if I'm wrong?" With that, Robin began to tie another cable onto the pinion. After a moment, he straightened up and the foursome took their first tentative steps into the interior of the city.

"Cyborg, holding onto the cable, feel over to your left. Can you touch a wall?"

"Yeah, I can."

"How far away is it?"

"Seems to be about three, four feet."

"OK, I'm about two feet away from the wall on my right. That makes this about six feet, like we thought. Starfire,"

"Yes, Robin," she answered.

"Starfire, I want you to rise slowly up, Raven, stay in physical contact with her so she doesn't drift off. See how high up the ceiling is. If you can't feel the ceiling and stay in contact with Raven, come back down."

Floating up, the princess held her arms out. Rather quickly, she touched stone. "I have reached the ceiling."

"Raven, can you give an estimate based on your height and Starfire's?"

Thinking, the grey girl replied, "I'd guess about ten feet."

"Robin, there is one more thing. This ceiling is arched, it is not flat."

"interesting, means this really may be a corridor and not a doorway. OK, come back down. Cy, keep your hand against that left wall, Starfire, would you keep your hand on the right wall? That way I can use the flashlight and see ahead of us. Well, try to see ahead of us. Let me know if you find any openings." With that, Robin began to walk forward, shining his flashlight into the swirling, snow filled gloom of the opening.

Within about ten steps, the wind had lessened considerably, Within another ten, there was little to no swirling snow and ice. The flashlight beam revealed a sleek, even corridor that led for a considerable distance.

"Cyborg, looks like we'll be able to see our surroundings. Don't think you'll need to hold onto the wall anymore. Everyone, flashlights out. As much light as we can make. Let's see what we've got here.

The resulting explosion of light revealed very little actually, the walls were smooth, unbroken for the foreseeable future. It was what it seemed to be, an arched passageway leading into the city. Even the floor appeared to be in pristine condition.

"Does this mean we can move a little faster?" Raven asked. "I'd like to actually accomplish something in the near future."

"Yes please, we must find the location of R'yleh. There is no time to waste."

"All right, we pick up the pace a bit. We've still got about ten more minutes before we need to turn back."

"Ten minutes? Why, we're out of the wind and snow. Surely we can take a bit longer."

"Raven, it's still frigid. I'm assuming we're not going to find a heat vent anywhere around here. At 75 below, it's still dangerous. Let's go." And the titans set out again.

Roughly five minutes later, Starfire exclaimed, "I HAVE HAD ENOUGH OF THIS!" With that, she rose into the air, and shining her flashlight down the corridor, flew off.

"STARFIRE, WAIT!" shouted Robin.

Unfortunately, Starfire was not about to heed the titan leader. Within moments, the beam of light that had shown the others where the warrior princess was vanished in the distance, lost in the depths of the city.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

As always, my thanks to my readers, I'm now up to 2700 hits for the story since it began back in May (wow). Only two reviews this time, but then again, I was extra quick to update before the long weekend, so the regulars may not have had a chance to read the chapter.

Flood125 – Excellent question. I had considered it originally and discarded it for the reasons I gave above. But I thought it would be more entertaining to actually incorporate it into the story rather than simply explain here in the footnotes. This is why I like reviews (other than needing tremendous amounts of encouragement), it gives me ideas to incorporate into the story.

ForceIsStrongWithThisOne – Is there anything wrong with the T-Jet? Was the destruction of the antenna an accident? We've only just begun to explore this rather desolate, abandoned (?) city. Hope this installment lives up to your expectations.

Now then, I do have a note, and a request. If by some miracle, there is someone reading this who has not been reading any of Force's works (unbelievable as that may seem), let me make you aware of a joint venture between Force and myself, along with three other fantastic writers, Novus Ordo Seclorum (author of Collateral Damage), Sir Alwick (author of a number of excellent BB/Rae romances) and titanfan45 (author of One Hundred Words and other humor stories).

The story is Ganguro and the author is ZorkaberryPie (that's us). It took us a while, but the first chapter has been posted and the next should come out this weekend. A humor/mystery/romance starring our favorite shapeshifter (and, of course, the other titans). I hope you'll enjoy it. I'm certainly enjoying writing my small sections.

Until next time my friends, sleep well.


	22. Chapter 22

I do not own anything relating to the Teen Titans.

Opening the Closet Door a Crack – Chapter 22

Xxxxxxxxxx

"STARFIRE! COME IN! WHERE ARE YOU?" Robin shouted over his headphone. While their portable headphones had reasonably good range, if Starfire flew off too far, she would be outside their range.

"I hear you Robin. But if you intend only to order me to return, I will not be doing so. I have attempted to tell you that the rise of Great Cthulhu is of the upmost importance and you still choose to delay. I will look around and see what can be determined. So far, I have found a number of discoveries. None of which leads us to R'yleh."

The other three titans looked at one another. "Starfire," Raven responded, "just what have you found?"

There was silence on the other end for a few moments. Then the warrior princess replied, "That this building is far larger than we suspected. If I am observing correctly, we entered the building on one of the upper floors."

"One of the UPPER floors?" Cyborg said, "How far down does this place go?"

"I am not sure. I have found a number of ramps and passages that go down. As well as some that go up. Right now, I am searching for a secluded area where we can set up camp. This time restriction that Robin has set up is too cumbersome for exploration."

"Starfire, the restriction is because humans can't SURVIVE in this cold. As it is, we need to turn back quickly if we are going to make it safely to the ship."

"Cannot Raven teleport us back?"

Robin looked at the sorceress. "Can you?"

She thought for a few moments. "I obviously couldn't teleport us here since I have no idea where we are. As for back….."she paused, considering. "I'm not sure. I'm not in visual sight of the ship and the wind and snow was a distraction outside. I don't care what anyone says, it's hard to focus my powers in this kind of weather. In here…." They waited which she continued thinking. "I might be able to do it. It's still cold and I'm shivering, but at least the wind isn't blowing through me. Let me give it a try."

While she couldn't seat herself in a lotus position because of the bulk of her thermal gear, the purple haired maiden closed her eyes and attempted to concentrate. "Azerath, Metrion, Zinthos." After a moment or so, a black disc appeared.

"All Right Raven!" shouted Cyborg. And he moved to enter the portal.

"Cyborg, don't go in!" Raven exclaimed. "I'm not sure it worked. I'm going through now to see if I'm where I think I'm supposed to be. If I've done it wrong, I could be anywhere. I'm more likely to be able to find my way back than you are. Wait here." Shining her flashlight ahead of her, Raven shuffled forward through the portal, bracing herself for what she might find on the other side.

"Friends, what is happening?"

"We don't know," answered Robin. "Raven just went through her portal. We're waiting to see what happens. If she doesn't come back soon, we're going to have to start walking back. We're on the edge of the safety margin right now. If we wait more than another two minutes, Cyborg and I could be in trouble."

The precious seconds ticked by. One minute passed. A second minute had almost been completed when Raven reappeared. "Sorry about that. I made a small miscalculation."

"What happened?" asked Robin. "Will this work? If not we need to leave RIGHT NOW."

"It will work. I just need to readjust the portal slightly. I ended up on top of the T-Jet, not inside. When I came out of the portal, I fell. Took me a moment to reorient myself and find the portal again. I dropped my flashlight when I fell and had to find it. Give me a moment." With that, Raven concentrated in front of the portal again. Then, without a word, she entered it again. Almost immediately, she returned.

"It's ok, I've oriented the portal on the galley in the lower hatches. Give me a moment or so and I'll be able to fix the position in my mind so I can reopen the portal to the galley later."

"This is wonderful news, friend Raven." Starfire's voice appeared over their headsets. "Now we may spend more time searching and Beast Boy will be able to join us."

"Well, we'll be able to spend more time searching, that's for certain," answered Robin. "But Beast Boy is still trapped. Just because we're out of the snow and wind doesn't mean the temperature is any better. Until we can set up a base camp and turn on some heat, he's confined. Starfire, do you see anything that we could use as a camp? An enclosed room or, better yet, a series of rooms."

"Oh yes, I have found a number of them. The entire building is full of various rooms. There is not much in the rooms themselves, but we will need to look at them thoroughly."

"OK, titans. Let's move forward and continue. We've got another half an hour before we need to teleport back." With that, Robin moved forward, continuing down the corridor. "Starfire, was the corridor we're in sound? Can we move freely or do we need to worry about crevices or holes?"

"No Robin, this entire complex is very sound. I see little deterioration in the building anywhere. I will come back now that you are willing to continue the search in a quicker manner."

The three remaining titans continued moving down the hallway in a more rapid fashion. After a few minutes, a light appeared in the distance, growing rapidly larger and brighter as Starfire approached. Finally, the Tamaranean rejoined the others. Landing in front of Robin, Starfire looked with deliberation at her leader.

"Are you ready to accept that our mission requires making with the haste to find R'yleh?"

"Starfire, we're still not certain there IS a R'yleh on earth. Still, we're here to see if there is any chance that R'yleh exists. But NOT at the cost of our lives."

"Robin, preventing the rise of Great Cthulhu is not only worth our lives, it is worth the lives of everyone on earth."

There was no answer to that. The heroes began to move forward again. After another five minutes of walking, they reached the end of the corridor.

It opened to a rather large, oddly shaped room with a high vaulted ceiling. The room vaguely resembled a star or pentagram shape, with five different paths leading out. They had entered through one. Around the perimeter of the room were various ramps leading down, and two leading up. They weren't stairs per se, but elongated paths leading out. The ceiling looked about fifty feet high. Without the swirling snow and ice, the titans high powered lights could make out the distant ceiling. Even so, the room had an odd, uncomfortable feeling for most of the titans. A nagging itch that there was something just out of sorts.

"Guys," Cyborg spoke up, "are we sure about this building? I know it's been here, like, forever, but that ceiling won't collapse due to the weight of ice and snow, will it? I'm not sure about the structural integrity of the place."

"Oh it will last several tens of million more years," said Starfire. The others looked at her with a rather surprised look on their faces.

"Being a little optimistic, aren't we?" intoned Raven.

"Don't you recognize the style? It is a standard classical 7th dimensional tesseract form. It has been one of the standards for millions of years. The ceiling beams are fixed in one of the sublevels and focused on a loci about, oh, three of your miles above the roof of the building. The interdimensional balances enable structural integrity for millions of years. It is generally used in regions of geological instability, enabling the structure to handle tectonic plate movements. Personally, I always found them old fashioned. On Tamaran, the favored structure is a neo-modern Kondra pentaconical 8th dimensional tesseract. It can be a little difficult to balance, but it enables a great deal more variety in form and provides considerable space both in and out of regular spacetime. The closets are wonderful."

The other three titans' mouths dropped and they looked bug-eyed at their friend.

"Interdimensional WHAT?" asked Cyborg.

"Kondra Pentaconical?" queried Robin.

Starfire looked confused. "But…these are basic geometrical forms? Do you not know them?"

The three slowly shook their heads. Then Robin spoke, "Our structures are basic three dimensional forms, we don't have the means for this kind of building."

"Oh, I thought you just didn't use them for cultural reasons. Like the Offeltonians of the High Andes do not make anything round for religious reasons. In their culture, to make anything round is a high crime and usually sentenced to hard labor."

Robin looked at the princess. "No, we don't really have the knowhow for that kind of architecture. Starfire shook her head and began to mutter something in her native language. She seemed to be doing this more and more throughout the mission as the shear backwardness of humans became more evident. While human beings were charming, kindhearted people, their ignorance was profound.

"Umm, Starfire, you said there were other rooms further in that we could use as a base camp?" Raven interrupted the princess's musings.

"Yes, we can either go around to the right and follow the first side passage, there are some six smaller interconnected rooms there that seem to lead off to other buildings, or we can move down another level to a larger area that seems to be set off."

"Let's stay on this level," Robin replied, "I'd rather explore one level at a time and not leave anything unknown above us." The titans moved into the room, making their way to the right hand star point and the doorway there.

"Psst, Raven," Cyborg whispered, "Did you understand any of that that she said."

"A little bit. Advanced geometry was not my area growing up." Cyborg looked surprised at this. "Look, Azerath is a floating city. It floats because the monks make use of advanced geometric concepts that enable it to float. Much more efficient than burning energy or using magic, which also takes a great deal of energy. I was just never very good at it. Best I can do it create portals."

"Portals?"

Raven looked at Cyborg with surprise. "Certainly, what do you think my portals are? I use my magic to create a multi-dimensional tesseract that bridges spacetime between one place and another. Some of the monks of Azerath can cross dimensions and time eras depending on their geometrical abilities. Even though I'm half-demon, my human half has difficulties with some of the concepts, so I can only handle a few of the basics. That's why I had such trouble retrieving you from the past that time you got stuck there. I needed to study the advanced geometry and the magic necessary to reach back and get you. A lot of the concepts are beyond me."

They wandered over the large room, which in our geometry measured about 75 feet across, when adding the star points, they seemed to be over 200 feet from point to point. As they made their way to the right hand corridor, Robin noticed a series of large mounds. They were seemed to be about six feet high and brown, with a thin layer of ice on top.

"Starfire, are those part of the architecture? Do you know what they are?"

She shook her head, "No, Robin. They remind me of something, but I cannot place it at the moment. They appear to be some odd decoration. There are many in this room and several scattered throughout the building. At least in the areas that I have looked at. In the rooms that I am taking you to, there are only a few."

Continuing past the miniature pillars, the titans made their way to the side alcove. All the while, Cyborg began to look around, staring at the roof, the walls. He seemed oddly nervous. There was an unpleasantness, an oddity regarding this structure. Once leaving the comparative normality of the corridor, these new designs were completely foreign to him and Robin. While Robin appeared to handle the building with his normal stoic aplomb, Cyborg, because of the electronic components of his brain, was always being fed the influences of this Cyclopean structure.

Exiting through the doorway, the titans entered into a smaller version of the larger room, this star shaped room was only about 15 feet across, with four additional doors at each remaining point. There was another of miniature pillars in the center of the room.

"Three of these doorways lead to individual rooms, that one," Starfire pointed to the one on their immediate right, "leads to another corridor."

"Does the corridor lead outside?" Robin asked.

"It does not seem to, I believe it leads to another building. I did not fly far in, but I did go far enough that I would have reached the outside. There was no sign of snow or ice in the corridor, so I do not believe it is connected."

"Well, in that case," Robin began, "it looks like we have a place to set up base camp. We can use this room as the main area and put in the heaters. Starfire and Raven can share that room." He pointed to the room to their immediate left. Cyborg, Beast Boy and I will share the next room and we can use that far room to store our equipment. Raven, can you get us from here to the T-Jet and back?"

The grey girl concentrated for a moment. "Yes."

"Good, then let's get back to the ship, warm up and then we can start setting up camp this afternoon."

With that, the purple haired sorceress closed her eyes and began to chant her mantra. After a few moments, a black energy portal appeared before them. Opening her eyes, Raven told the others to wait for a moment while she tested the portal. Quickly entering the disk, Raven saw that she had placed the other end in the T-Jet's lower gallery. Returning to her friends, she said, "It's in the T-Jet. Give me a few moments and I'll fix it in place for a while. At least until we're finished." With that, Raven reentered the portal and emerged in the T-Jet.

The other titans quickly followed her. Since the portal only provided transport between the two points, the frigid cold did not penetrate to their ship. Once back aboard ship, the titans removed their headsets and began on their thermal wear. While removing their clothes, a strange sound made its way to their ears.

"23 bottles of beer on the wall, 23 bottles of beeeer. If one of those bottles should happen to faaaalllll, 22 bottles of beer on the wall."

Raven looked around at the other titans. "Azar, please no."

"Ya know," pondered Cyborg. "Most people give up after about ten versus. For someone to get all the way down to the 20s shows determination."

"It shows someone who is not paying attention to the situation, who is TOO BUSY GOOFING AROUND!" snarled Robin.

"Excuse me, I do not understand the purpose of this action."

The titans looked at the Tamaranean warrior. "It's an extremely mindless rhyming song. Usually sung when there's nothing else to do," explained Raven. "Perfectly in keeping with Beast Boy's mentality."

"Oh, how many verses are there? On Tamaran we have a number of similar songs. Usually, there are anywhere from ten thousand to fifty thousand verses."

"Guess you folks are not easily bored," muttered Cyborg. Aloud, he replied, "On earth, we start at ninety-nine. YO, GRASS STAIN. We're Hoooomme! You can stop siiiiinnnggiiinnnng."

A green whirlwind came bouncing downstairs. "Hey guys, you're back early. I still had a few more verses to go. Made a bet with myself that I could get to zero before you'd get back."

"It took you over an hour to sing 99 verses?" asked Cyborg.

"Naw, started at a thousand."

The four titans, even Robin, looked at the teen with incredulity. "You couldn't find anything ELSE to do?" asked Raven.

The changeling looked at his teammate. "The systems are all working. There's no outside communication. You can't see ANYTHING outside. I've already beat MegeMonkeys 4. What else is there to do?"

Once again, the four titans stared at the shapeshifter. After a moment or so, Raven said, "If only he could use these powers for good. Or at least not to annoy me."

"So, what did you find? Did you find anything?"

While the other three titans resumed removing their thermal gear, Starfire explained the situation and that they would begin to construct a base camp within a few hours so that the investigation of the city could be conducted without the need to return to the T-Jet.

A longing look appeared on Beast Boy's face, "Guys, does that mean I can FINALLY get out of here?"

"Assuming we can get the temperature in the enclave up to a reasonable level," answered Robin, "yes."

"YEESSSS! When can you start? How can I help?"

While the other titan had not been exposed to the constant wind and swirling ice and snow for the past forty five minutes, they were still cold. It took them several hours to fully warm up. While Beast Boy could not actually go through the portal yet, the others could. Obviously, the first task was to set up the portable generators so that the heaters could be set up. This actually took several hours as the cold prohibited the removal of gloves. Things had to be assembled as much as possible inside the T-Jet and then transported through the portal. The key was to make the assembly in the city as simple as possible.

After setting up the systems inside their self imposed enclave, the titans waited. Although they had sealed off the two corridors to the outside with portable airlocks, that still left four good sized rooms that had to be heated sufficiently before the real work could begin. There was no point to working in sub-zero temperature when a few hours time could bring the air temperature, well, if not to normal room temperature, at least livable.

So the next morning, Starfire passed through the portal again. Returning to the others, she announced that the temperature was sufficient that the others could go through without their thermal gear, although it would be wise to bundle up as the temperature, while above freezing, was not really comfortable long term for habitation. It would take several hours to continue to warm up and, even then, most of them would wear their 'normal' winter clothing. They would bring their thermal gear just in case. The plan was to investigate the immediate area and, if possible, expand the zone of comfort beyond their immediate base.

Cyborg and Robin, being the most technologically able, went through first to check on the generators to ensure that they were operating properly. Starfire immediately after as the cold held no apparent discomfort for her.

That left Raven and Beast Boy waiting their turns. The green teen was practically bouncing off the ceiling. While Raven was annoyed, she tried to be understanding. Her friend had been cooped up for days now in a very confined space. While this new camp could not nearly be considered large, it was at least something different.

"I CAN'T WAIT! I've GOT to get out of here. Can we go now, Raven? PLEEESE?"

Releasing a sigh, Raven said, "All right, I can understand that you need to get out of here. But please contain yourself." They walked towards the portal.

"Don't worry, I'm cool, I'm so cool that I could fit right in with the penguins." And the two walked through.

"See Raven, I'mmmmm." He stopped and stiffened suddenly. Beast Boy hunched over and held his head in his hands. The hair on his head stood up and he let out a growl.

Then, the teen pounced on the miniature pillar near the center of the room, tearing at his with his hands and his teeth.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxx

I'm thrilled that not only have my hits increased substantially (which I attribute to the publication of Ganguro, which I have the undeserved honor to be a part writer of), but I've received more reviews for this last chapter than ever before.

Once quick hint (not about this story), it's probably not kosher, but I'll do it anyway. In Ganguro, Chapter 2 was written by yours truly. Unless you read this chapter, you won't know that. I'll also be posting Chapter 3 of Ganguro on Friday.

Back to the matter at hand, I've included a bit of levity here. Sorry to say, but from here on, there will be precious little levity. I give fair warning.

On to the reviewers, the first one is new to the story.

Stumblefoot – Hello and welcome. Glad you've joined us and I hope you are enjoying the story. If you like Starfire the anthropologist, here's Starfire the architect.

ForceIsStrongWithThisOne – Well, Beast Boy is now in the city. And there will be consequences as a result. Robin is…Robin. As always, there is more than meets the eye with him. The next three to four chapters will be crucial and revelatory. You know, I always just assumed the toilets were temporarily broken in 'Tokyo'. Otherwise, this would be a most uncomfortable expedition.

Flood125 – I read EVERYONE's review. I particularly enjoyed yours as it gave me a reason to delve into a little more of Beast Boy's abilities. Always fun.

Soulseekerthe13th – Well, there may be more to come with both the antenna AND the corridor. While the titans have reached the end of that corridor, there are plenty more in this abandoned (?) city. Please keep me updated on the book. I DEFINITELY want to take a look at it.

Novus Ordo Seclorum – Can you believe Force believes we're both elegant in writing styles? You definitely, me, say what? We are NOT done with the friction between Robin and Beast Boy. I guarantee it. Tensions, already high, will be building dramatically over the next couple of chapters leading to a major turning point in the story. (I love dropping hints that could go anywhere.)

Punk – As with Stumblefoot, thanks for joining me on my excursion through HP Lovecraft. I hope I will be able to keep you interested and entertained.

Emotionalpoemgirl – Glad you mentioned that the city was built on the original surface. I had actually forgotten I said that. Almost made a major mistake by having the building larger on the top levels than on the bottom ones. My most sincere thanks for keeping me honest.

Kenzie – Haven't seen you for a while. Glad you came back and I hope this update has lived up to your expectations. We still don't 'know' what lurks in the darkness of this forbidding city.

Hawkgirl90 – Wow, another voice from the past. Thanks for coming back. Although I can understand that you have a reading list for your internship (I'm a MAJOR history buff, one of my degrees is in history). Hopefully, BB's singing gave a small indication of how bored he is. He won't be bored for long.

Until next time my friends, sleep well.


	23. Chapter 23

I do not own anything relating to the Teen Titans.

Opening the Closet Door a Crack – Chapter 23

Xxxxxxxxxx

The ferocity of the attack by their green teammate caught the other titans off guard. Although he hadn't morphed into another animal, he was attacking the six foot pillar with all of the bearings of one. The sight of the shapeshifter clawing at the barrel shaped post and trying to tear it with his teeth was profoundly disturbing.

"Raven," ordered Robin, "get that idiot away from there." The shout was tinged with hints of disgust. Raven looked at the titan leader with surprise. For him to make such a comment was highly out of character. While she bristled inwardly at the tone of the order, she realized that it was entirely possible that Beast Boy could injure himself as he threw himself bodily into attacking whatever this pillar was.

However, removing him from the attack proved more difficult than she expected. Placing a bubble around him did nothing as the bubble also enclosed the pillar. As she attempted to wrench him away from the pillar, he holding on with both hands and his teeth, something remarkable occurred.

The pillar began to come apart. Or, rather, it began to unfold. As Raven used her black energy to pull the changeling away, he grasping onto it, a piece began to unfurl from the main section. It creaked and cracked until it finally came away from the main body.

It looked like a large, leathery wing, about seven feet in span.

The revelation that there was more to these pillars than first evident came as a shock. To Raven, it was sufficient to make her lose focus and her magic dissipated. Robin looked to Starfire, as if seeking explanation, Starfire looked curiously at the wing, as if she realized she should recognize it, but just couldn't place it.

It was Cyborg who had the most upsetting reaction.

"AAAAAUUUGGG! WINGS! NO! DON'T LET THEM GET ME!" And he ran shrieking from the room, through the portal and back to the T-Jet.

Seeing everything falling apart, Robin swiftly gave the order, "Raven, stop staring and get that asshole out of here and back to the T-Jet. Knock him out if you have to. When you're there look for Cyborg. Starfire, as soon as you can, pick up that…thing…and move it away outside our immediate quarters. Not too far as we'll have to investigate it later."

Both of the girls looked stunned at the boy wonder's speech. The invective that he used to refer to their friend was far out of keeping with his normal behavior.

"What are you waiting for, MOVE!" With that, Raven resumed trying to extricate Beast Boy from the object. While they had stopped, he hadn't. He had let go of the now unfolded wing and resumed his attack on the body of whatever the object was. Now that he was able to get inside of the entity, the ferocity with which he attacked redoubled. He was actually tearing bits and pieces off of whatever the thing was. Tearing at the top, an odd appendage unfurled from the body. It mimicked the five pointed configuration of the room, resembling a stalk with a five pointed end. Looking at it, the remaining human titans were hit by a wave of revulsion, something primal that disturbed their fundamental acceptance of reality.

After having unfolded this hideous appendage, Beast Boy backed up, ready to launch himself again at the thing. Raven took advantage of his separation and quickly encased him inside a black energy bubble. He immediately began to howl, throwing himself at the bubble in a desperate attempt to resume his attack on the entity. Raven levitated the bubble through the portal and immediately followed it.

Once Beast Boy's attack had ceased, Starfire took action. Flying at full speed towards the half opened entity, she quickly picked it up and flew towards the airlock to the larger room. Unwilling to take the time to wait for the lock to work, the warrior flew through the airlock, shattering it and letting the frigid, sub-zero air back into their enclave.

"DAMN!" shouted Robin. "Ten hours work ruined." With that, Robin raced to the portal entering it before the bone-chilling cold could affect him.

"Raven," he shouted as he entered the T-Jet, "How are Beast Boy and Cyborg?" He then stopped dead in his tracks. Beast Boy was still captive in the black energy globe, but he had seemed to settle down. While not fully normal, he was no longer tearing at the bubble trying to escape. He looked confused more than anything else, as if he wasn't certain what was going on.

However, it was Cyborg that truly stopped Robin.

The cybernetic teen was in the far corner of the galley, hiding behind one of the chairs, his arms over his head, rocking back and forth. Over and over he was muttering, "Don't let them get me, don't let them get me." Raven was crouched next to him, her hand on his shoulder trying to get him to calm down.

"Ra…", he started. His voice broke. Trying again, he said, "Raven, what's the matter with him?"

The grey sorceress looked at the titan leader. "I'm trying to get a read on his emotions. They're completely chaotic, running everywhere. Most of it is tremendous fear. There's only so far in I can go before it affects me. Then everyone's REALLY in trouble. Right now, the best I can guess is that the accumulated influences of the Necronomicon and that statue of Cthulhu in the Order caused him to be open again to these Outer Gods that Starfire speaks of. One of the characteristic sounds that he and Beast Boy were hearing was wings. Apparently, the actual sight of these wings was enough to cause a major panic attack. I'm trying to project calm and peace into his mind, but it will take a while."

She got up and approached Robin. "AND AS FOR YOU!" The anger in her eyes was evident. There was even a hint of four eyes, showing that the anger was sufficient to bring her father's influences to the fore. "What the HELL was that all about? How DARE you speak of Beast Boy like that! I want the TRUTH out of you for once. Maybe you can lie to Starfire, but you're not going to lie to me. What's going on with you? Are you being affected or not?"

Raven realized at that last statement, she had gone too far. Robin's rigid controls over his mind came down hard. Before, he was projecting a combination of anger (presumably at Beast Boy) and concern (obviously for Cyborg). Now, with the focus on him, he withdrew again, hiding behind his mask of stoicism.

"I'm fine. I'm not having any problems with voices or wings or anything like that. Of course I'm concerned for Cyborg, he's my best friend, outside of Starfire."

"And Beast Boy?" Raven's eyes narrowed, almost challenging Robin to say or do something that would degrade him.

The boy wonder let out a deep breath. "I lost my temper. I didn't mean it. He makes it so difficult at times."

"If anything, you should be glad about this one. It's obvious his animal instincts took over again against one of these Cthulhu followers. We'd have had no way to know our possible danger without him."

"Yeah, he makes a great watchdog." At that Raven used her black aura to pick Robin up and pin him against the wall.

"You better watch yourself, bird boy" she spat out in anger, "I CANNOT believe you said that about your friend. Assuming that you still consider him your friend. Right now, if there's a problem on this team, it's YOU, NOT HIM."

"Whether you like it or not Raven, Beast Boy is out of control." Robin wasn't backing down. "He's showing less and less ability to handle his animal instincts. He's always been lazy and irresponsible, but his abilities and experience made up for them. Without those, there's no way we can trust him."

"Like we can trust you, Red-X?"

The anger that flittered across Robin's face was terrible to behold. He very seldom let his temper get the better of him, but right now, he was mad. The only thing that saved the situation was that Starfire happened to fly through the portal to interrupt them.

"Friends, I have disposed of the thing that was affecting Beast Boy. I have placed it in the outside chamber." She stopped and looked at the situation. "What is the problem? Raven, why have you pinned Robin against the wall?"

Both Robin and Raven took a deep breath and attempted to calm down in front of their friend. Raven let Robin go. "It's all right, Starfire, Robin were just having a little discussion that got heated. I need to get back to Cyborg now. He's in serious difficulties and will need as much healing as I can give him, which isn't much. It's too embedded in his mind now to be removed. We'll have to keep him calm and handling familiar tasks. He can't be let near anything that will set off a panic attack again."

"Meanwhile," Robin interrupted. "We need to set up another airlock to replace the one you flew through. Please be careful next time, we're down to our last portable airlock." With that he turned and left Raven to go to the storage lockers, Starfire following him.

Moving back to Cyborg, Raven opened up her empathic abilities to her cybernetic friend. The turmoil, the chaos within his psyche was almost more than she could stand. It was obvious that his mental state was delicate at this stage. The various influences that had hammered at his self awareness and his mental defenses were incredibly strong. Without a lifetime of mental training and discipline, Raven herself would have had difficulties with these eldritch influences. The best she could do right now was to keep him tranquil and protect him from any additional shocks. Whether any of this could be reversed, well, personally, she thought it a long shot, but hope was eternal. A certain green changeling taught her that, though she was loathe to admit it.

After several minutes of tending to her metallic teammate, Raven's attention returned to the catalyst for the most recent incidents. Inside the black globe, Beast Boy was lying down, apparently asleep.

"_Not surprising, given what he just went through. Wonder if it's as much of a strain having animal instincts take control as it is losing emotional control?"_ Raven pondered. _"I know I need a few hours of meditation. Probably wouldn't hurt to leave him in the bubble during that time. At a minimum, it would keep Herr Robin off his back. What the hell is his problem? I need to talk with Starfire as soon as possible; something is definitely going on with him. He's NEVER been this dictatorial. And for him to immediately go after Beast Boy…..Azar, I swear these three are going to be the death of me. Never mind, meditation first, investigation later."_

With that, and staying within sight of the now sleeping Cyborg and Beast Boy, Raven assumed her lotus position and began to chant her mantra.

Roughly an hour later, Robin and Starfire came aboard the T-Jet after having replaced the shattered airlock. Although Starfire showed little effects from their labor, Robin was exhausted. Between the initial setup and attempting to replace the broken airlock in major subzero temperatures, he had pushed himself as far as was humanly possible. Once he was back aboard the T-Jet, he saw the situation. Raven was meditating, slowly bobbing up and down roughly a foot off the floor. Cyborg, still behind the chair, but now reclining against the wall, was fast asleep. Inside Raven's black energy bubble, Beast Boy was lying down, periodically twitching, as he regained control over his animal instincts. Robin's face tightened.

"He's getting more and more difficult to deal with. He was never very reliable and now we can't go a day without him going out of control. I'm debating whether to throw him off the team now or give him another chance."

Startled, Starfire looked at Robin. "But, Robin, Beast Boy is our friend. And it is obvious that these animal instincts of his are of major help in determining what is of danger to us. Why would you want to remove this assistance?"

"Because he's uncontrollable. Like any wild animal, you can't tame him, you can only hope that he won't turn on you. More and more, it looks like there's a very good chance he will turn on us."

"Beast Boy is not a wild animal."

"We'll see. Anyway, it'll take another several hours before the camp's temperature is approaching freezing again and we can make a stab at going back. I'm going to take a catnap. We don't know what will happen the next time Beast Boy is set loose." With that, Robin moved up to his compartment of the T-Jet for a quick nap.

Starfire watched the young man that she had tremendous admiration and affection for depart. It was odd, she thought, at how determined he was to think the worst of Beast Boy. It concerned her greatly that the team was shattering almost before her eyes. She wanted desperately to speak with Raven, but the purple-haired girl was meditating and, given the situation earlier, Starfire wasn't surprised. Their talk would have to wait.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

It's getting tougher and tougher to decide where to put the chapter breaks. There's a lot coming down the pike and I'm trying to decide whether shorter, more frequent, chapters are the way to go or longer, less frequent. I know what will happen. I've actually plotted out most of the final eight to ten chapters (depending on length). Everything I've written has been leading up to these final chapters. And I haven't even started the fourth (and final) arc.

Meanwhile, as always, I appreciate the hits and the reviews. I will admit to some disappointment regarding the last chapter. NO ONE caught my little joke. Either no one reading this is a "duck" person, or I made the reference too esoteric. The Offeltonians (or Awfultonians, as it should be written) of the High Andes are a reference to a fantastic story by Carl Barks, comic book icon, who wrote tremendous stories of Donald Duck and Uncle Scrooge. One of his greatest stories was "Lost in the Andes" where Donald and nephews came across a civilization where EVERYONE was square shaped. They were the kindest, nicest folk alive. Donald named the city "Plain Awful" because the people lived in such poverty. The ONLY law of the town was that nothing could be made round, since everything in the town was square, including the inhabitants. Just thought I'd throw that in for amusement's sake, of all folks, Starfire would have heard of them. Oh well, next time I won't mix genres.

As for my reviewers,

ForceIsStrongWithThisOne – Coming from the master of cliffhangers, high praise. I enjoyed very much making Starfire the 'expert' on geometrical architecture. I've always thought that the writers did not do enough with Starfire's background and non-human perspective. And now that I'M done with the current Ganguro section, yeah, I can't wait for the next chapter to pop up. Mine do not seem to garner the same amount of reviews and interest that yours do (small wonder).

Hawkgirl90 – You know, the 99 bottles came at me out of nowhere. Just thought it would be funny and I couldn't wait to put it in. Just the kind of thing BB would do. Believe it or not, I AM trying to keep the titans in character. (PS, don't forget your homework, it really IS important, so says the 50 year old geezer.)

Jewel – Thanks for joining up. Glad you are enjoying the story.

Ijpowers92 – Another new reviewer. Again, my thanks for reading (and catching up to all of the chapters, difficult when there are 20+). I recognize that the most 'logical' thing to do is call in the reinforcements. However, no hero EVER does this (don't ask me why). I've avoided the entire issue by taking out the radio. By the way, there was no reason before this for them to call for help. As far as the titans are concerned, they've been looking for Randolph Carter (remember him?). The architecture will remain nebulous, I'm afraid, however, the temperature will play a key role in the next couple of chapters.

Punk – My thanks for your compliments. Glad you are enjoying it.

Novus Ordo Seclorum – Amazing, isn't it, that heroes (or writers) always find what they need to keep the story moving along. We are only beginning to scratch the surface of the BB/Robin tension. Next chapter will be a complete focus on the two. Hopefully, you are now getting some feel for the depth of Cyborg's issues. And we haven't reached the bottom yet.

Until next time my friends, sleep well.


	24. Chapter 24

I do not own anything relating to the Teen Titans.

Opening the Closet Door a Crack – Chapter 24

Xxxxxxxxxx

Several hours later, Raven came out of her mediation trance. Quickly looking around, she saw that Cyborg was still fast asleep in the corner. Extending her empathic senses towards him, she read that though the calm she had imposed in his conscious mind was still there, underneath, the chaotic turmoil was continuing to deepen. He was getting worse, losing his hold on this reality. She really did not have any idea of what to do. It was too late to reboot his computer memory, the psychic damage had been done. Magic was of little use in this situation. She could probably wipe his memory entirely, but that would remove anything and everything that had once been Victor Stone. If things got worse, that might be her only recourse.

She looked into the black energy bubble. Beast Boy was sitting there, watching her. From this distance, she could see in his eyes, although strained, that there was normal human intelligence. Well, normal for Beast Boy anyway. She quickly dissolved the bubble.

"Raven, what happened to Cyborg?" He began to run towards his friend.

"Beast Boy, don't go near him, please keep your voice down." He stopped and looked at her. "Let's see if we can go back through the portal. It's been a few hours and the temperature should be back up to at least freezing if Starfire and Robin have fixed the airlock."

The changeling looked puzzled at that. "Uhh, what happened? I don't remember anything after the LAST time we went through the portal. How'd I get in one of your energy bubbles? How did I get back in the ship?"

"Your animal instincts took over again. BIG time."

The green teen paused. "Last time that happened in the tower, I remembered it happening, but I couldn't make heads or tails what happened. I even had an inkling that it was going to happen. You're saying it happened all at once?"

"Yes, almost immediately after reemerging you lost complete control."

Beast Boy's eyes widened in fear. "Raven, I didn't do anything to Cy, did I? Is that why you had me in the bubble?" The fear, the guilt that exuded from her friend was nearly overwhelming.

"No, it wasn't you, not exactly." She paused, "This will take some explaining. I think it should be safe for you to go through now. Starfire was supposed to remove the thing that set you off." Beast Boy looked puzzled at that reference.

"Look, let's go back in and see if you're all right. I should be able to keep you from damaging anything." The two walked towards the portal and walked through.

The temperature on the other side was still extremely cold. Raven was wearing her winter gear, but Beast Boy, not having any, was still shivering. While not the bone-chilling frigid cold, it still wasn't above freezing. Looking around. Beast Boy seemed unconcerned.

"I really don't remember anything about this. Raven, what happened?"

Briefly, Raven went over the events of several hours ago. How Beast Boy lost control and attacked the unknown pillar that the others had assumed was merely decorative, the discovery that this was some type of winged creature. How that revelation drove Cyborg into a panic attack and Raven's discovery that Cyborg's mental state was precarious at the moment. She did NOT tell the teen what their leader had said about him, nor the terms he had used to describe him.

Beast Boy was quiet at these revelations. After a moment, he turned to Raven, "Thank you. Thank you for keeping me from hurting anyone or myself. This is getting to be a problem. If I can't control my instincts, I may become more dangerous than I'm worth."

"Wait a minute, what makes you think you're dangerous? So far, you've not attacked anything that isn't related to these Cthulhu followers. If anything, you've alerted us to these dangers, especially as we were completely unaware of them."

"Rae, it's not just you guys, it's others. I know I'd never deliberately harm any of you. But it's innocent bystanders, even the bad guys, I can't allow myself to hurt them." The concern, the self-disgust was evident on his face.

"Look, it's hard to fight your instincts when you're surprised. It seems like this caught everyone off guard. As it is, once out of its influence, you pretty rapidly came to yourself."

Beast Boy gave her a sad smile. "Nice try, but that still doesn't excuse a loss of control. I can just imagine what Robin said."

"No you can't." At that, the changeling's eyebrows rose, questioning.

"No, I'm NOT going to repeat it. But I give you fair warning, watch out for him. I'm not entirely certain that he hasn't been affected by our mission as well."

As if to emphasize this last statement, Robin and Starfire both came through the portal into the titan's base camp. Robin looked around and saw Beast Boy, his face hardened and he stormed over to the youngest titan.

"YOU! Give me ONE reason why I shouldn't throw you off the team. Or have you muzzled."

At the first statement, Beast Boy's head began to droop, as the guilt he had been laboring under was only confirmed by the titan leader. However, when Robin mentioned the muzzle, his head snapped up and there was anger in his eyes. Robin had hit the one area that Beast Boy was most sensitive about, his humanity.

"You two-bit dictator! How dare you treat me like an animal! What gives you the right to even HINT that I should be treated like a dog!"

"You behave like a wild animal. You can't control yourself, you cause trouble, you contribute NOTHING! Why you're even here is beyond me. If I could toss you now I would."

"ME USELESS? What the hell have you done on this mission you stuck up asshole? I translated the book, I infiltrated the Order's headquarters, I retrieved Carter's journal. Apparently, I even discovered that these..things…are dangerous and involved in this whole episode. WITHOUT ME NOTHING WOULD HAVE BEEN DONE! All YOU'VE done is complain and divert attention from YOUR uselessness."

"I'm in charge, I make the decisions!"

His eyes narrowing, in a very quiet voice, Beast Boy said, "Only as long as we let you."

With that, Robin let out a yell and threw a punch at the shapeshifter, who avoided it quickly by changing into a sparrow and ducking, flying a short distance from the boy wonder. Landing and morphing back to his human form, Beast Boy observed the boy wonder. "So, we're back to this. OK, bird brain, let's boogie."

With that, the fight that had occurred back in Arkham resumed. Again, the two were in a stalemate for several minutes as Robin used his martial arts to try to hit Beast Boy, who only morphed for defensive purposes. All the while, Starfire and Raven stood stupefied at the rapid deterioration in the behavior of the two male titans. Each looked at each other briefly and, with the instinctive awareness that only the female of the species possesses, both decide to finally let the two men have it out.

As with the first go round, neither Beast Boy nor Robin could lay a finger on the other. Beast Boy swinging at Robin, who acrobatically ducked every blow, and morphing whenever Robin returned to the attack. The battle could have gone on indefinitely, save for one change.

After a number of futile attempts to hit the shapeshifter, Robin took out one of his birdarangs. As Beast Boy flew away from a missed blow, Robin threw his razor sharp implement and nicked the changeling in the left wing. The shock of the injury caused Beast Boy to change back to human form and he fell roughly eight feet to the ground. He landed with a hard thud.

Both Raven and Starfire stared wide-eyed at the change in battle. Raven started for a moment towards the changeling, but Starfire, more perceptive in the ways of combat, held out her hand to restrain her.

"Wait," she said.

Robin stood there with a smirk on his face, convinced that he had finally shown his rival what he was facing. Beast Boy got to his knees and shook his head, clearing it. He stood up and reached with his right hand to his left arm. Drawing it away and examining the blood now covering his right hand from the wound in his left arm, Beast Boy gave a satisfied smile. A smile that held both anger and contempt. He said one word.

"Mistake"

With that, the changeling disappeared.

Both Starfire and Raven were stunned by this development. Robin, on the other hand, narrowed his eyes and circled round, looking, waiting for the next attack. Suddenly, from two feet above, a green bull ape appeared and swatted the boy wonder in the shoulder, knocking him several feet away. The ape immediately disappeared.

"What's going on?" asked Raven.

"Can you not tell?" informed Starfire. "Beast Boy is changing to either a very tiny insect or some type of single celled animal. He can disappear and reappear at will. I am afraid that for all Robin's tactical abilities and skills, he has seriously miscalculated. He is now fighting a foe who can disappear and reappear at will. And can take on any of your earthly animals. I should tell you, in all my travels, I have never seen such variety in animal life that I have seen on earth. For all his warrior abilities, I am not certain that Robin can defeat Beast Boy."

Raven looked with incredulity at the warrior from Tamaran. "Then why aren't you stopping this?"

"Robin has called this duel. It would be a dishonor to both him and to Beast Boy to stop it until the victor has been decided. It is still possible for Robin to win, although I don't see how. Still, he has surprised me on numerous occasions since I arrived on earth and, for an ordinary human, he is most formidable."

The purple-haired sorceress looked at her alien friend, "So you're going to let them beat each other up?"

Starfire looked at her girl friend, "Yes, honor demands it. I would suggest you stay out of it as well, since it concerns your own _bracken de more_."

"Excuse me, WHAT?"

"In your earthly terms, heart mate."

"HEART MATE? What are you talking about?"

Starfire gave a sad smile to Raven, "How little you really know about yourself my friend."

Robin, meanwhile, had regained his feet and was keeping a careful watch on the environment around him. Feeling the air to his right suddenly change, Robin twirled in that direction, throwing a haymaker at what he thought would be another ape. Instead, he hit a rhino in the side with full force. Grimacing with the pain that was extending through his, if not broken, severely injured hand, Robin then took a glancing blow from the rhino that knocked him several feet to the ground. Although on the ground, Robin extricated a number of explosive pellets from his utility belt and threw them in a wide arc in the area where Beast Boy had been.

The concussion momentarily stunned the shapeshifter and he morphed back to human form. Holding his right hand in his left, Robin rose to his feet. Beast Boy also got to his feet, shaking his head, attempting to regather his wits. Seeing his adversary momentarily dazed, Robin let loose another birdarang towards the changeling. Instinctively ducking, the weapon grazed his head, opening a cut above his right eye which started to bleed profusely.

Without even waiting to see the extent of his injuries, Robin extended his staff and, swinging in a wild arc, launched himself at the injured green teen. Just before hitting him, Beast Boy vanished again and the boy wonder landed hard on the ground. Cradling his right hand, he slowly turned around in a circle, looking for the next attack. It was not long in coming. Straight above him, an African bull elephant appeared, knocking him to the ground, rendering him senseless. The elephant then placed one leg on top of Robin's left arm and began to press.

Robin let out a scream of agony as the multi-ton weight was lowered, slowly onto his arm. Although he could hit the leg with his injured hand, it did no good to remove the weight. Furthermore, the injury prevented him from removing any weapons from his utility belt that might possible be of use against such a titanic foe.

A sharp crack was heard throughout the room.

Raven let out a cry, "Beast Boy, remember, you don't believe in hurting people. Please, don't make me stop you."

The green elephant immediately morphed into the familiar form of Beast Boy. He looked at Raven with a stunned expression, as if he couldn't believe what he had just done. Then, his face became stony. Turning towards his former friend, he bent down to face him.

"Remember this day. Remember, that I BEAT you. Remember, that no matter what, you're an ordinary human being. I'm not. I have all the powers of the animal kingdom on my side. I've been fighting for most of my life. I've fought villains you can't even imagine. If I wanted you dead, I could have changed to any number of poisonous animals. If I wanted you dead, I could have entered your body as an amoeba and morphed to a whale. If I wanted you dead, you would be. Never forget that."

With that, Beast Boy got up and left the area. He went back through the portal to the T-Jet.

The silence that fell upon the titans after Beast Boy left continued for several minutes. Finally, with a groan, Robin attempted to rise to his feet. Raven moved over to his side. Without comment, she used her blue healing powers to mend the broken bones in his right hand and his left arm. It took several minutes, as broken bones are more difficult to heal than normal wounds.

Leaving the boy wonder, Raven floated back to Starfire. "Well, they've had it out. Now what?"

Starfire looked at Raven. "I do not know."

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Wow, back to back chapters. I'm not usually that quick, but this battle has been sticking in my mind for several days now and I've been dying to get it out. Even so, there's more to come. The dynamics will get far deeper, and darker. We're on the downslope of the rollercoaster and there's no way to stop it. I can only go where the story is taking me.

Hopefully, not many of you will take pleasure in the breaking and humiliation of Robin. For all that he is arrogant and obnoxious, he IS a hero and a human being. No one should go through this kind of humiliation, regardless of whether or not you believe he deserves it. And, there are still more revelations to come. Some regarding Beast Boy, some regarding Robin, some regarding the other titans. I'm not done by any means.

With the rapid updating, I'm not even keeping track of the hits. Nonetheless, I will ALWAYS acknowledge my reviewers.

It's remarkable. I asked for feedback regarding length and duration of updates. My two colleagues in Ganguro both responded, each with the opposite advice. As I respect and admire both their works tremendously, I still have no answer. In that case, I leave it to the muses.

ForceIsStrongWithThisOne – Yes, something is DEFINITELY going on with Robin. We still have a number of revelations to come. I'm not even halfway through the third arc and you can see the titans splintering before your eyes. There's more to come.

Flood125 – Well, no, that's not what I have planned (as you can see). Still, I'm glad you are keeping abreast of the story. And there's more to come.

Hawkgirl90 – You know, this hatred (not yours, everyone's) of Robin is worrisome. I've never seen a major character so disliked. I have a reason for his behavior (ooops, gave something away there). Still, that's where the fun is. Meanwhile, glad to see you're doing your homework. By the by, what history are you specializing in?

Soulseekerthe13th – Glad you are enjoying the story. Believe me, I'm not done with the carcass of the Elder Thing in the other room. PLEASE post some excerpts as soon as you can.

Novus Ordo Seclorum – Ah, my friend, you are coming very close to the situation. Is he tired? Is he influenced? Is Beast Boy the main problem and Robin sees it where the others don't? I love multiple directions for a story. Keeps you guessing. My very inadequate thanks for your kind compliments regarding this work. Hopefully, I can continue to write in such a manner that will justify your kindness.

Until next time my friends, sleep well.


	25. Chapter 25

I do not own anything relating to the Teen Titans.

Opening the Closet Door a Crack – Chapter 25

Xxxxxxxxxx

The next few days were extremely uncomfortable, to say the least. The enmity that had arisen between Robin and Beast Boy affected everyone. They had both stopped speaking to one another and did everything possible to avoid each other. Beast Boy continued to spend much of his time on the T-Jet, as that continued to be the warmest spot on the Antarctic continent. He left only to talk to Raven and see how Cyborg was progressing.

Robin, as was his wont during times of stress, threw himself into his work. To that end, he began an investigation into that strange creature that had set off Beast Boy. Initially, he wanted to bring the carcass into the camp. However, both Raven and Starfire protested this. The protests were based on a suspicion that Robin was doing this deliberately so that Beast Boy would be confined to the ship as well as both of them not wanting whatever it was to set off Cyborg again.

For Cyborg had changed mightily. After Raven's ministrations, the robotic teen had slept for most of the day. Upon awakening, he left the T-Jet, muttering that it was too exposed, too many eyes watching him. When Raven asked him what he meant, he just shook his head and walked away.

After that, he took to wandering the camp, staring vacant-eyed at everything. At times, he would stand still for an hour, then look around the room, twitching. Again, he was muttering under his breath, "Wrong, everything's wrong."

Finally, Robin came up with a suggestion, something that would distract him and, hopefully, relax his mind. He set him to work expanding the camp's zone of comfort. If he could tinker with the heaters, set up a few more around the area, and work to expand beyond the original three rooms, it would give them more breathing room. He also knew that Cyborg was happiest when he was tinkering with machinery. The hope was that these familiar actions would distract him from the forces that were pressing down on his psyche.

Rather than attempt to work on the oversized star chamber with their dozens of frozen creatures, for fear that simply viewing them again would cause another panic attack, Raven suggested that he expand his way down the corridor, as that might open up more avenues of exploration. This seemed to help the troubled teen considerably. Almost as soon as he left the smaller star chamber, with its odd configuration, and moved into the corridor, Cyborg seemed to relax, slightly.

As he made his way down the corridor, setting up cables and junction boxes for the expansion of operations, Raven and Starfire watched him carefully. The warrior turned to her friend.

"Raven, do you know why Cyborg is so uncomfortable around us? Have we done something to offend him?"

The mistress of magic turned to Starfire, "I'm not sure. It could just be the association of that winged creature with this room, but that doesn't feel right. His emotional stability doesn't seem to be focused on that creature. It almost seems….." She stopped, pondering.

"Seems what?"

"It almost seems as if he's having difficulties in handling the room itself." She continued to think. "But why would this room cause problems?"

"Indeed, it seems most ordinary. A basic five dimensional pentagonical structure. There's not even a space-time tesseract in the room. Very simple."

Raven looked at the orange girl. "Simple?" she commented in her signature monotone. "Perhaps that's the problem." The Tamaranean looked confused. "What you call simple may be too complex for his human mind. With the added factor of his electronic circuits, Cyborg is constantly being bombarded by the multi-dimensional configuration. It's far different than what regular humans are used to dealing with."

At that, Starfire looked at Raven. "But Raven, you seem to be able to handle it."

"I'm part demon. I'm used to reality warping configurations. I grew up in Azerath, we made use of advanced geometrical forms all the time."

"But these are not advanced forms."

With a little sharpness in her tone, Raven replied, "Advanced for humans."

"So," began Starfire in a hesitant voice, "Cyborg is having difficulties dealing with this room? In addition to the influences of the Outer Gods?"

"That would be my guess." The two girls paused in their conversation for several minutes. The silence grew, then Starfire could bear it no longer.

"Then, how do we help friend Victor? We MUST locate R'yleh, but it is obvious that this place is bad for us. Is there not some magic that you can use to help him?"

Without speaking, Raven shook her head. After a moment, she continued, "Starfire, are you SURE R'yleh is on earth? This could all be an unnecessary waste of time."

Another pause, then Starfire began to speak, "I feel it. I feel it in my heart. I feel it in my spirit. I cannot give you the proof you need. The book, the Esoteric Order of Dagon, this lost city, all of it shouts at me that Great Cthulhu is HERE! Perhaps, perhaps there is the proof that you and Robin need located somewhere in this city." Silence descended again over the two.

After a few minutes, Starfire said, "I believe I shall go assist Robin in examining that strange creature. Since the body is outside our camp, I may be able to operate the tools that he cannot due to his need for gloves."

"How's he holding up?"

"I…I am not certain," the princess responded. "I know that in the past when Robin has failed at something, he has dedicated himself to work to deal with it. But even for him this silence is….worrisome. It almost seems…."

"Yes?"

Starfire continued, "It almost seems that he wishes to discover something, to prove to himself and to Beast Boy that he is still the one in control. Does that make sense?"

"I don't know. As much as anything ever makes sense when Robin's involved. For someone so intelligent and capable, he's just as likely to go off half-cocked as anyone else."

"Half-cocked? I do not know this expression."

Giving an inward sigh, Raven explained. "Being impulsive, doing something before you have everything ready. It comes from attempting to fire a gun before it is fully ready."

"Oh, well then. I shall go to him and tell him not to be half a cock and wait until he is a complete cock."

"DON'T SAY THAT TO HIM! NEVER SAY THAT TO A HUMAN MALE! EVER!" Raven's eyes opened wide in concern. When would she learn to not use slang expressions around Starfire?

The Tamaranean princess looked confused again. "I shall NEVER understand earth language." And she flew off to find Robin.

Shaking her head, hoping that Starfire listened to her, Raven went off to meditate.

It was the following day when certain revelations occurred regarding the titans' situation.

After several hours of attempting to dissect the already torn carcass of the winged creature, Robin gave up the attempt to handle it solely. His need for heavy gloves in the subzero temperature hindered his ability to maneuver a scalpel. After completely destroying the first specimen without actually doing anything useful, Robin asked Starfire to act as his hands. Operating in the larger of the two star chambers, he took a second creature and the two were able to carefully unfold it from its compressed shape.

Like the first, the most prominent features were its wings, roughly seven to eight feet in span. At the end of each were some type of orifices. It was only after the wings had been unwrapped from around the body that the titans were able to see the main body of the creature. It had a barrel shaped torso, with five ridges, each ridge consisting of a series of tentacles, with each stalk compressed into the body. Upon expanding, a stalk separated into further stalks, at six inch intervals, so that, ultimately, each stalk unfolded into 25 different tentacles.

At what they presumed was the head, at least on the specimen that Beast Boy destroyed it was, was a bulbous neck with the remains of gills, topped with a five pointed starfish shaped head. From point to point was approximately two feet, with three inch tubes projecting from each point. At the end of each tube was a membrane covered globe, reminiscent of an eye. At the juncture of the point and the tube, a second tube protruded, at the end of this one was a two inch opening, lined with sharp white projections, presumably teeth.

On the other end of the barrel shaped torso, the star pattern continued and mimicked that above, only longer, more solid, without the eyes. Instead, fins or paddles were evident. Presumably these were the means of locomotion for the creature. The being's skin was a thick leather that was difficult to penetrate. It appeared to have characteristics reminiscent of both plants and animals and resembled nothing on earth, either in the present or the past.

It was hideous. Whether it was still alive was a matter of conjecture. Without actually carving into the creature, there was no way to be certain if the thing was hibernating or dormant due to the cold, or whether it was actually dead.

His voice choked with revulsion, Robin turned to Starfire, "Star, have you EVER seen or heard of anything like this?"

The Tamaranean warrior had a peculiar look on her face, as if trying to place a long forgotten memory. "Nooo, I don't think I've ever seen this before. It reminds me of something. Some lesson from long ago. I wish I could remember. Perhaps it will come to me in time."

"Starfire, gather the team together at camp, NOT CYBORG! They need to be aware of this. I don't know what it is, I don't know if it's dangerous, but let's not take any chances."

"So, perhaps Beast Boy was correct in attacking it?"

At the mention of the shapeshifter's name, Robin's face had resumed its stony countenance. He pointedly changed the subject. "We need to make sure none of these are near any heat source. If they still are alive, I don't want to have to deal with them if they thaw out. I'll meet you back at the camp. Regardless, it would be nice to get warm again."

The team meeting, excluding Cyborg, was tense. Initially, the two boys pointedly glared at each other, but refused to actually speak directly. It was as if each one was waiting for the other to reopen hostilities, but was determined not to do so themselves. Robin then turned to the two girls and began to inform Raven of his find. If she asked a question, he replied. Beast Boy did not speak.

As the discussion lengthened, Robin and Raven began to grow slightly uncomfortable. The temperature was finally rising to something closing in on room temperature. Both were sweating under their winter gear. Neither Beast Boy nor Starfire were wearing winter gear, but they both appreciated the change. Apparently, during his work on the machinery, Cyborg had decided to raise the heat output and make the enclave somewhat livable.

It was then, the second discovery was made. Beast Boy, never one to sit still in the best of circumstances, was particularly loathe to listen to one of his rival's long winded speeches. He began to wander around the room. Glad of the warmth, he moved directly over to one of the large heaters the titans were using. The blankets of heat being given off were comfortable and he stood there for a moment looking around the room. Unfortunately, while there was plenty of room, there was not much to look at. The walls were a uniform grayish white from the accumulated snow and ice of years of slow condensation. In fact, as a result of the rise in temperature, the icy coating on the walls was melting, rivulets of water seeping down to the floor.

"_Sheesh, if this keeps up, we're going to be swimming here,"_ the green teen thought. _"I'll bet this ice has been here forever. Hmmm, wonder what's underneath it?"_ With that, Beast Boy took his fist and pounded on the wall, breaking some of the ice. Bored, the hyperactive hero began to chip away at the ice, looking for the true wall beneath it. After several minutes of concerted effort, he had created a large enough crack in one area that enabled him to tear the ice off. Working his fingers underneath the ice shell, he pulled hard and lifted the ice off of the wall.

Underneath it was a five headed monster. Beast Boy let out a cry. "Gaaahhh" and fell backward.

The others turned to him, Starfire and Raven with concern, Robin with a dirty look that held daggers in it. When the others saw what he had uncovered, they rushed over. Raven helped Beast Boy up off the floor while Starfire and Robin examined the picture underneath the ice.

It seemed to be a tiled mosaic, the condensation of millions of years had preserved it from fading as the colors were still bright. It seemed to resemble the creature Robin had just been examining. Curious, the titans attempted to remove more of the ice. While they were only able to clear a small area, four by four feet, it was sufficient to get an idea of the subject.

It seemed to be a battle, opposing armies on one side that resembled the frozen creature. On the other side, some odd humanoid fish creatures with large eyes and flippers. The uncovered area was only a small portion of a much larger work. It almost seemed to cover the entire wall. Still, you couldn't be sure because of the thick covering of ice.

The four titans looked at the wall in some puzzlement. Beast Boy spoke up, "If this is their idea of artwork, I don't think much of it. Pretty ugly if you ask me."

"No one asked you," retorted Robin.

"You say something bird brain?"

Before the fight could ignite, Raven stepped between them and erected a shield. "Both of you, knock it off. Otherwise, I'll send you each to separate dimensions to keep you off of my nerves." The two male titans settled into an uneasy silence.

Meanwhile, Starfire continued to stare at the wall in fascination. The image was awakening long buried memories and lessons from when she was far younger, before the Gordanian slavers. All at once, she remembered and let out a gasp.

"Oh Mighty X'hal no, please, no." The trembling in her voice conveyed her fear to the others.

"Starfire," asked Robin, "What is it? What's the matter?"

In a near whisper, Starfire began to speak. "You asked me for proof of R'yleh. I have something here that is as near proof as you could wish. That creature outside is an Elder One. They were…are…servants of the Old Ones, the beings who banished the Outer Gods to the realms outside space and time. It was their duty to track down the servants of the Outer Gods, including Great Cthulhu. Here, in this picture, they are battling the Deep Ones, the undersea followers of Great Cthulhu."

"The Elder Ones disappeared millions of years ago, shortly after the Old Ones vanished. No trace of them has ever been found, until now."

"If the Elder Ones are here, so is R'yleh, so is Great Cthulhu."

This last pronouncement put a chill into the titans' hearts. It is easy to brush off some vague warning that a monstrous being from beyond the edge of time and space is on earth. It is far different to have something similar right in front of you, where you could touch it.

"Starfire," queried Robin, "if these creatures are Cthulhu's enemies, could we thaw them out and have them help us in our search?"

"Wha? BIRD BOY, ARE YOU NUTS?" sputtered Beast Boy. Robin turned to face the green titan. Before he could say anything, Starfire spoke up.

"Beast Boy is correct. These beings are just as evil, as warped as Great Cthulhu himself. To free them would be a catastrophe second only to resurrecting Great Cthulhu."

"Hold on, Starfire, I thought they were Cthulhu's enemies." Raven replied.

Starfire looked at the three earthlings. "Why do you not understand? The universe is a dangerous place, full of evil beings who live to destroy. Even in the civilized galaxy, the races are not what you would call, pleasant. Why do you think I was so surprised when I arrived on earth and was helped by you and treated so kindly? Kindness does not exist much beyond this planet. While it makes you very nice people and I am thrilled to live here, you do not seem to understand the peril that exists beyond your world."

"If I could destroy these Elder Things, I would. It would safeguard the inhabitants of the earth against the possibility they might not all be dead."

The finality of Starfire's words precluded argument. The realization that they were surrounding by fundamentally unknown danger silenced dissent.

"In that case," Robin said after a few moments. "We need to see the rest of this picture. There may be additional clues to R'yleh in it." Starfire raised her hands to blast the walls to remove the ice. "STARFIRE, NO! If you do that, you'll destroy the work underneath. We'll have to do this the slow way, letting the heaters soften up the ice enough to remove. We don't dare miss anything. We don't even dare turn the heaters directly on the ice in case it causes the tiles to warp. We've no idea what we're working with, so caution is the rule."

Although none of them felt particularly patient about this arrangement, they all agreed (even Beast Boy) that it was for the best.

"Robin," the purple-haired titan spoke up, "We can't let Cyborg in here at all then. If he were to see any of these pictures, he might completely lose whatever hold he still has on his sanity. At a minimum, I would suggest that we at least put some kind of tarp over the existing wall, just in case he comes in."

Robin nodded, "Good idea."

Raven turned to Beast Boy. "Why don't you and Starfire get a tarp and hang it over the wall. I'll go check on Cyborg and see how my shields are holding up in his mind." The two nodded and began to work. Raven made her way to the fifth doorway, the one leading to the corridor that Cyborg was taking refuge in.

For refuge was what it was turning into. He had moved a cot into the corridor and had set up living quarters there. He had also moved several of the generators in there and laid a considerable amount of cable. He no longer even came out to eat with the others, as being in the multi-dimensional room unnerved him greatly. The dark also seemed to be affecting him. Cyborg had taken some of the high powered halogen lights and made an unusually bright area to work in. When Raven came upon him, he had pushed the airlock some hundred yards down the corridor, and seemed ready to push it further out. Shining the light down the corridor, it seemed to make a turn roughly fifty feet away, but nowhere did there seem to be any branching passages.

He was working quietly, with none of the humming or whistling that usually characterized his personality. As she moved closer to her friend, she read the emotional composition of his mind. While her calming influences seemed to be holding, the chaotic turmoil underneath continued. Privately, she decided that keeping him out of the main chamber until they were ready to leave was a good idea. She looked at him closely. He looked exhausted. There were dark circles under his human eye and his face was drawn.

"Victor," she said carefully, in order not to startle him. It didn't work, he practically jumped, even though he seemed to recognize her voice. He was practically twitching. "Victor, we're doing some additional work on the main chamber. It would probably be best if you stayed out of the chamber." Cyborg nodded his head, but didn't say anything.

Raven tried again. "Victor, you look terrible. Why don't you try to get some sleep?" With a panicked look in his eye, he shook his head. "Why not?"

In a whisper, he said, "Dreams"

"Dreams?"

"The shadow out of time, the haunter of the dark, the whisperer in darkness, the colour out of space."

"Victor?"

"Great cities filled with Cyclopean towers that reach beyond space. Majestic landscapes with colours no man has seen. Gigantic beings that fill the nothingness between time…."

"VICTOR!" Raven grabbed hold of him to shake him from his reverie. With a start he focused again on the mistress of magic, his eyes clearing.

"Dreams," he intoned. He turned away from her and resumed his work.

Raven stared at the cybernetic teen with fear. The possession, the madness that these eldritch forces had infected Cyborg with was far worse than she suspected. Leaving him, for there was nothing else that could be done at the moment, she returned to the other titans to alert them to the condition of the troubled teen, warning them all to be on guard in case the madness deepened.

It did not take long.

It was the following day. Raven and Beast Boy were back on the T-Jet, he taking a nap, she meditating. Robin was working on the icy walls in the smaller star chamber, carefully unveiling as much of the mosaic as possible. Starfire was flying through the unexplored portion of the building, trying to determine how many of the Elder Things were populating the edifice. Because of this, the titans were all wearing their headsets, just in case Starfire had something to report.

A scream pierced the headsets.

Robin let out a cry, "TITANS REPORT!"

"Here Robin," said Starfire.

Before anyone else could report in, Cyborg's voice came in over the headset. "What are you? Hastur, protect me." The sound of Cyborg's sonic blaster was heard.

"CYBORG," shouted Robin. "Report, what's there?" Robin put down his tools and began to race towards the corridor where Cyborg was holed up. It was on the far side of the smaller star chamber.

Raven's voice now came over the headsets, "Victor, what do you see?"

"NO, NO, got to get away. Can't let them get me. N'gai n'gha'ghaa, bugg-shoggog. YOG-SOTHOTH!" More blasting was heard. Then a whistling noise was heard over the headsets.

"Vic, buddy, what's up, clue us in," said Beast Boy over the headset.

Both Raven and Beast Boy were racing through the portal and out into the star chamber to meet up with Robin. The boy wonder had stopped.

"Well, what are you waiting FOR?" shouted Beast Boy.

"That whistling sound. He's blown a hole through the wall. That's the wind from outside."

"VICTOR, come back!" shouted Raven over the headset.

"ROBIN! His thermal gear is in the T-Jet! He's unprotected from the temperature. It'll kill him if he's out there." Beast Boy exclaimed. In their panic over Cyborg, both had forgotten their enmity towards each other. They ran over to the entrance to the corridor, as they raced down it, a frigid air mass met them as they traveled. They made it roughly half-way down the corridor before they had to stop. None of them were wearing anything that would protect them from the bone-freezing cold.

The sounds of a sonic blaster continued to be heard, as well as the sounds being made by Cyborg, "Ia; Ia; Tekeli-li, Tekeli-li! The black goat of the forest with a thousand young! The horrible abyss of radiance."

"STARFIRE, GET OUTSIDE AS QUICK AS POSSIBLE! CYBORG'S IN TROUBLE AND WE CAN'T GET TO HIM. YOU'RE THE ONLY ONE WHO CAN GET TO HIM IN TIME!" shouted Beast Boy.

"Azoathoth have mercy. I remember Yuggoth and more distant Shaggai, and the ultimate void of the black planets. NO, I'm Victor Stone. I'm Victor Stone."

"I see the tower in the dark. The thing is stirring and fumbling in the tower. Must unify the forces. I can see everything with a monstrous sense that is not sight."

Starfire was hearing this and racing through the building at top speed. "Robin, I am flying as fast as I can, but I am deep within this complex and it will take me a few minutes."

"STARFIRE, HE DOESN'T HAVE LONG! HE'S COMPLETELY UNPROTECTED AGAINST THE COLD AND THE SNOW! HE'LL FREEZE WITHIN MINUTES!" shouted Robin over the headset. "NONE OF US CAN GO AFTER HIM!"

Over the headset, again came the voice of Cyborg, "Ia, ngai. I see it – coming here – hell-wind-black wings." The sound of a sonic blaster was heard again, firing in all directions.

"Raven," exclaimed Beast Boy. "Can you focus on him? What's going on?"

Concentrating for a moment, Raven focused on their panicking friend. "He's consumed with fear. His mind is almost completely chaotic and shattered."

"Is there anything there that he's fighting?" asked Robin.

"I….can't tell. His mind is seeing all sorts of things. I can't tell what's real and what's not."

Over the headset again, "The long, winging flight through the void….light is dark and dark is light. Yaddith grant it will keep up! AAAAAGGGGGHHHHHHHH! Yog-Sothoth save me! The three-lobed burning eye."

"NO, I'M VICTOR STONE! I'm Victor Stone, I'm Vict…."

Somewhere, three hags sit. One has been working on her spinning for a considerable time. The thread was quite intricate, interacting most often with four other threads, and weaving in and out of numerous others. The hags were no longer laughing, but concentrating on their work.

The second one reached out her hand and placed it on the arm of the spinner. The spinner raised a withered eyebrow. The second one stared carefully at the thread. Almost imperceptibly, she nodded. With a sigh, the third and eldest of the hags took out a small pair of silver scissors.

And cut the thread.

And somewhere, a sonic blaster fell silent for the final time.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Just a note or two, the severity of the chapter precludes banter. The description of the Elder Thing and the mosaic comes from the story "At the Mountains of Madness". In the dream talk, the various subjects are all titles of Lovecraft stories. The final madness, these are 'traditional' ravings that the various protagonists in Lovecraft's stories shout before succumbing to the final madness. Most of it comes from his story, 'The Haunter of the Dark'.

My thanks as always to my faithful readers. I hope that the ending of this chapter does not discourage you from reading further. I'd like to think I warned everyone in my initial summary to the story. But one is never really ready.

My thanks to my reviewers, for they help with my inspiration.

Bluesummers2012 – Welcome to the world of HP Lovecraft. I appreciate your kind opinions of my work. You were very complementary regarding 'Too Young' and, as far as I can tell, you've come partway through 'Opening'. I hope it continues to meet with your approval.

Hawkgirl90 – The extreme nature of the fight shows the progression of the enmity between the two. In the beginning, they were simply shouting. Then, they were actually fighting, but not really trying to hurt each other. Now, it's no holds barred. There's a reason for this which you will see later. Elementary Education, cool. An admirable goal.

ForceIsStrongWithThisOne – My friend, the spiraling out of control has only begun. And you are correct, they haven't even made it to R'yleh yet. There is still plenty more darkness to be withstood before the end.

Ijpowers92 – Oh, I realize that I've made Robin a major $&% in this story. I was commenting more on the overall impulse that many readers have to seeing Robin get beat up. Considering how I'm playing into it (for a good reason), I probably shouldn't say anything. Robin's story is by no means complete.

Novus Ordo Seclorum – Ah my friend, I'm blushing. That may be the most complementary review I've ever had. Now I have to maintain the caliber of work. I do warn you, I always have one more twist to the story.

LuxFord BanKitty – Welcome. Although from your review, you've been a faithful reader, this is the first review you've done for me. And ANOTHER exceedingly complementary review. I am most appreciative. Whether I feel it is deserved is another matter. But I do appreciate the kindness. Thank you. Addressing your question, if you asked before the story started, I would say they would just contain BB. Even now, Starfire & Raven would probably just contain him. Robin, well, that's another matter.

Soulseekerthe13th – And the first pillar falls in the Titan's edifice. Whether more fall, well, I'll just leave you hanging on that one. As for your question. I would assume the instantaneous change would enable him to handle most elements. I'm not even getting into the conservation of mass and energy. This IS the comics after all.

Until next time my friends, sleep well.


	26. Chapter 26

I do not own anything relating to the Teen Titans.

Opening the Closet Door a Crack – Chapter 26

Xxxxxxxxx

They never found the body of Victor Stone. Starfire searched outside for over an hour. Unfortunately, the dark of the Antarctica night, the whirling snow and ice, and the complete lack of markers regarding the direction the Cyborg might have taken, or even if he began leaping away from the building in his final madness, made the search almost futile. The severe winds and blowing snow could have quickly buried his body anywhere, sealing it in an icy tomb that would last eons.

Back inside, the remaining titans worked to repair the damage done by their lost friend. Raven quickly used her abilities to manipulate objects to move the airlock from its current placement. Cyborg had blown through the wall near the juncture where the airlock was situated. It had to be moved back roughly twenty yards to put the opening to the Antarctica cold in front of the lock so that the temperature could be returned to a livable condition.

While Raven was manipulating her black energy, carefully, as the airlock was a sensitive piece of equipment and they now no longer had anyone with the capabilities to repair it, Robin and Beast Boy were hauling the various cables and cords back along with the airlock. It had to be done at the same pace as Raven was moving the lock, otherwise they would pull the cables out, rendering the lock just as useless.

After about a half an hour, the procedure was complete and the air in the corridor began the slow process of warming up again. It was fortunate that the heaters continued to work as the titans had had no time to change into warmer clothes, not that Beast Boy had any, still, the frigid air blowing through the corridor did not make for comfortable working conditions.

Nor did the knowledge that their friend was dead.

After they were finished, Robin turned to the sorceress. "Raven, get your thermal gear on and a strong flashlight. You and I are going through the airlock to where Vic had his breakdown. He sounded as if he saw something. I don't know if he was imagining things or not, but I want to take a look. If there IS something deep in this building, I want to know about it."

The shapeshifter remained quiet at this. He knew that this was the right thing to do, but it relegated him to the sidelines once again, since there was no way he could go beyond the warmth of the enclave. Instead he did what he could. "Robin, I'm going to check the on board systems. Maybe there's something, anything, that could give us an idea. If there IS something out there, it would appear on the scopes."

"Couldn't hurt." There was still a considerable frostiness in the boy wonder's voice. However, with one death and the possibility of something still inhabiting the city, this was not the time to get distracted by rivalries.

The titans split up to pursue their separate courses of action. A short while later, Robin and Raven met back at the airlock dressed in their thermal gear. Making their way through the lock, they felt the frigid Antarctica night seep into their very bones once again. Walking the twenty yards to the place where the airlock had formerly been, they passed by the blasted wall.

"Raven, when you were reading his emotions, did he actually SEE anything, or was it the madness?"

She paused for a moment, recollecting the chaos within Cyborg's mind, the turmoil that had flooded every part of his being. "Truthfully, I'm not sure if he could tell what was real anymore."

"Still," continued Robin, "something must have triggered it. He kept telling something to get away. Was it the wings he was hearing? Or something we still haven't found?" To this, there was no answer.

The two titans continued to the spot where the airlock had previously been. It was at a corner of the corridor. Turning the corner, Robin flashed his light down the hall.

There was nothing there.

"So, it was only madness," Raven commented sadly.

"Maybe, maybe not." She looked at the titan leader in puzzlement. "Look at the ground. It's hard to tell if the ice and snow has been disturbed. The opening to the outside caused the wind to shift everything here. It's hard to read the signs. I don't see anything, but I can't rule it out conclusively."

"How would we be able to rule it out?" the purple haired girl asked.

"We'd have to explore it thoroughly." With a sigh, Robin shook his head. "There's no way we can do that. We don't have time or resources. This city could be huge. We're limited to a small enclosure for our survival, we need to uncover that mosaic and see if there are directions to R'yleh." Slamming his fist into his open hand, Robin shouted, "THERE'S NO TIME!"

"So, how do we protect ourselves IF there is something down there?"

Robin looked at her. "I'm not sure. Since we don't know what's there, if anything, our best bet is to block the opening to the corridor from the star chamber. Then set up a rotating guard." He pondered the situation for a few more minutes. "Perhaps, perhaps the airlock keeps it…them….whatever, at bay. Nothing has shown up before this and we've been here for several days."

"Maybe there's nothing here."

"I'm not willing to take that chance, especially after what happened to Vic."

That seemed to end the discussion. Robin and Raven made their way back inside the protected area.

Once they returned to the chamber, there was no longer any distraction for them from facing the reality of the death of Cyborg. People who are used to action, when the action has ended, are forced to face the consequences of their situation. Now, stuck waiting until the ice melted enough to unveil the mosaic, the titans were left alone with their individual thoughts.

In this case, Raven needed to meditate. Given that her powers demanded that she maintain a rigid control over the more vibrant of her emotions, the emotional turmoil of the death of a friend was bringing her exceedingly close to a complete breakdown in these controls. It was several hours later that she was able to feel she was at least a little more in control.

The death of her friend was a situation that had never occurred to the grey girl. During her years on Azerath, she still had her mother, her teachers. There had been no deaths that she was directly related to. Once on earth, she had not been close to many until she met up with the titans. Probably the nearest she had ever been to having someone die that she knew more than in passing was Terra. Even then, there was the belief that she could still come back. Beast Boy said she was already back, but Raven had never gone to investigate. The events surrounding the geomancer's betrayal and fall were not something she cared to recollect.

Leaving her compartment, Raven went into the main body of the T-Jet. Intending to go through the portal to the star chamber, she saw a green figure sitting at the small table, his back to her, face to the wall. He was staring at the spot that Cyborg had been crouched at a few days ago, when the panic attack revealed the most obvious symptoms of his madness.

As she made her way over to him, Beast Boy spoke. "I should have done something. I should have realized how much trouble he was in. God, I'm such a failure." The emotional waves emanating from the changeling were deep-seated and severe. This was not some minor insecurity Raven was feeling from him.

"Beast Boy, all of us saw it. There was nothing any of us could have done."

"You did something. You tried to calm him, tried to help him. I did what I always do, I failed."

"What do you mean?"

He turned to the grey girl, eyes red and wet with unshed tears. "Mom, Dad, King Tawaba, the Chief, Terra, now Vic. Everyone I get close to is dead. And what do I do? Watch! I don't help, I can't help them. I'm stuck watching." With every word, the self loathing came closer and closer to the surface. The fun prankster was completely gone now, the tormented, troubled youth was standing before her.

Raven was stunned. Her knowledge of the past life of Beast Boy was minimal. Now, to hear him go through a litany of people he'd seen die, a litany he rattled off as if they were his constant companions was upsetting.

"Beast Boy, what's happened to you? Who was the king you mentioned, who was the chief?"

Taking a deep breath, his voice cracking, the green teen said, "King Tawaba was the king of the tribe my folks were staying with doing research. He adopted me after….after…." He stifled a sob. A moment later, regaining his composure, he continued. "He was killed by the tribal medicine man. The Chief, Niles Caulder, was the original leader and founder of the Doom Patrol. Mento only became the leader after he was murdered by the Brotherhood of Evil."

Raven's eyes widened, to realize that death after death had followed the young teen around his life, brief though it had been, was a revelation. How had he survived? How had he continued day after day?

"I'm so tired Rae. Death after death, how do people keep going? How do you do it? How do you keep yourself together? It feels like it will never end." The changeling dropped his head and ran his hands through his hair, shaking it from side to side as if to dislodge the memories it contained.

"I've never had to go through what you've gone through. Beast Boy, Vic is the first real friend I've had who's died."

"Then you're lucky." The self-loathing was now on the surface. "You were able to help, somewhat, at least. You can hold your head up that you tried." The emotional black pit that was Beast Boy was deepening.

"Beast Boy, this is different. Vic was my teammate, my friend. I've never lost a loved parent. I've never lost my guardians, I've never lost my best friend." Beast Boy raised his eyes to her at this. After a moment, he spoke.

"Vic was my best bud, my pal. He wasn't my best friend, you are."

The purple haired mistress was stunned by this pronouncement. _"Me, his best friend? All we do is fight and argue. I don't understand."_

"Please Raven, please promise me you'll stay safe. Please promise me you'll stay alive. I couldn't.." his voice broke at this and a sob escaped. "I couldn't last another moment if you weren't here. I would be completely shattered. I love you."

The Azerathean girl's eyes opened wide at this statement. Stunned beyond all measure, Raven just stood there.

Meanwhile, several thousand miles away to the north, in a tower of glass and steel, there was a room. It was dark and deserted, a layer of dust covered most of the room as the resident had not been back in a number of weeks. On the bureau was a rather ornate hand mirror with a red gem at the crown. The mirror was suddenly encased in a black aura. It rose off of the bureau and began to spin, overloaded with energy. The glass with the frame splintered and cracked with an explosive force, shattering the mirror and turning the glass within to shards and dust. Spinning around and around in a maelstrom of turbulence, the broken shards rearranged themselves and settled again in the mirror's frame. With one final burst of energy, the glass was fused into a solid whole again. Completely sound, but completely different.

Raven stared at her teammate. Moving over to face him, as she had once before, she hugged him.

"Garfield, don't worry. I will never leave you. I will always be with you. I love you." And she kissed him, gently, but with the intention that they would be together, now and forever.

Xxxxx

In the star chamber, Robin continued to work away at the ice covering the mosaic. As when there was any emotional discord within him, Robin focused on one thing, work. Anything to avoid the consequences of facing the emotional reality that existed. And so, he chipped slowly away at the ice on the wall, rather than the ice in his soul.

Starfire had come back from her fruitless search of the surrounding area. After standing off to the side for a period of time, she came to a decision. She moved over to the boy wonder and faced him.

"Robin, I wish to assist me in a Tamaranean ceremony."

Robin stopped his work on the mosaic. "What kind of ceremony? I won't have to eat any pudding, will I?"

"This is a serious ceremony. It is the Ritual of Remembrance. Whenever a warrior dies, a Tamaranean who wishes to honor the deceased chooses a companion for the ritual. I wish to do so for friend Victor and I wish you to assist me."

Putting down his tools, Robin turned towards the princess. "Very well, I am honored that you would ask me to assist you in this ritual. What do I need to do?"

Taking a deep breath, Starfire said, "Please take off your clothes." The teen detective's eyes widened at this request.

"WHAT?"

"Robin, the Ritual involves making a replacement for the departed warrior. We are a people of warriors. Whenever a warrior dies, those who wish to honor the dead mate in order to replace the lost warrior and name the child after the dead warrior. The more children who are born as a result of this ritual, the greater the warrior. It is to show the worth of the departed. The greatest warrior in Tamaranean history was Krandoria, who had 2,247 children named after him. He was mighty indeed to need that many replacements."

"I know that on earth, you do not honor your dead this way. But, this is how I wish to honor our friend's passing. You are the mightiest warrior I know on the planet and our child would be a worthy replacement for Victor. Even if I am the only one who wishes to honor him this way, it is something I feel honor bound to do."

Robin was breathing very heavily during these statements. This was NOT something he had been expected. "Starfire, I…I…I.."

"I understand from Raven that you find me desirable. At least Beast Boy seems to think so, and Raven concurs. At least she explained to me what a 'hard on' was. Therefore, I do not believe that you will find it difficult to fulfill your part in the Ritual."

"Starfire, I…I…I…." Robin was starting to hyperventilate. Trying to regain some measure of composure, he continued, "Ummm, this isn't anything I was really expecting. You know on earth, men and women don't generally just, ummmm, mate."

"That is not the impression I get from your movies and TV shows. Nevertheless, this is not just some random mating. This is to honor Victor."

Robin was starting to puff out his cheeks, breathing heavily. "Well, uhhh, well, uhhh. There's no guarantee that this will result in a….uhhhh….replacement."

"Oh, yes it will. Tamaraneans have the ability to conceive at need. There is no need for you to worry regarding that."

The boy wonder's eyes opened even wider at that statement. "Right, of course, I should have known. Starfire, can we, uhhh, maybe, uhhh, do this somewhere a little more private? What if the others come in?" Robin's face was turning red at the thought.

"Hmmm, oh, of course, your human concept of modesty. Well, we can certainly find someplace a bit more comfortable. If I understand right, the ice would not be helpful to your part of the ritual."

"Which is why I take cold showers," muttered Robin.

"Let us go to one of the antechambers that we set up as sleeping quarters. There are bunks and heaters in there that will afford us some measure of privacy and comfort."

"Do you have to be so business like? I was hoping for a bit more romance."

"Then you should have moved quicker and not let me do all the work. Besides," at this, Starfire lowered her head and, with a shy smile, said, "the ritual is usually done between people who are attracted to one another and are either involved or wish to be involved."

If Robin's eyes could have opened wider they would have. At this stage, he was completely stunned and beyond all conscious thought. Starfire took his hand and led him to one of the antechambers for the Ritual of Remembrance.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Couldn't resist. Much of the last 20+ chapters have been designed to get to THIS chapter. Had it planned out from the beginning. A rather, suggestive, interlude after madness and death. Still, I've found that once a strong emotion is unleashed, in this case grief, it frees up many others. In this case, love and desire. Everyone is too emotionally open to be able to hide their feelings and they are searching for comfort in any way they can. Human (& Azerathean & Tamaranean) nature. People are people.

Meanwhile, speaking of people. I am getting a considerable number of hits. Far more than I am used to. Not nearly what Force or Novus generally get, but good for me. Right now, my TOTAL hits for the story since its beginning is roughly 3700 and I'm getting between 70-90 hits for each chapter.

As could be expected, the main point regarding the past chapter was the death of Cyborg. Before anyone asks, yes, he's really dead. Lovecraft's world is a dangerous one. The vast majority of protagonists end up either mad or dead or both. In this case, it was both. I'm trying to be consistent with the genre.

Still, even though the sentiments of my review was similar, I am most appreciative of their responses. As always, in order,

ForceIsStrongWithThisOne – In the world of HP Lovecraft, things can ALWAYS get worse. And it will, I promise.

Hawkgirl90 – I'm sorry for the upset regarding your second favorite character. But, if you look back, you will see that this was inevitable from the beginning. By the way, I pronounce it Cthulhu, (K-thool-hoo) don't know if that's right, that's just the way I pronounce it.

Bluesummers2012 – Comfortable, no, not particularly. But the story demanded it. If one is to stay consistent with the genre, one has to be willing to abide by its rules. Lovecraft demands death and madness, as I have plans for the other four (Bwah-ha-ha), Cyborg was the sacrifice.

Punk – Glad you're enjoying the suspense. Not much in this chapter, but I guarantee, this will be the LAST peaceful interlude. The action (or buildup) will resume next chapter.

Soulseekerthe13th – Thought you'd enjoy this one. A good Lovecraftian rant is always fun. Where is your posting, on your webpage? I confess, I've been so caught up in getting these chapters out, I'm flagging in my reading.

Alf – I swear, I only have five fingers on my right hand. You must be looking for someone else (have fun storming the castle).

Novus Ordo Seclorum – Didn't think you were going to make this cut. I posted days ago and you'd not responded. (Force was first, as usual). To some extent you are correct, tragedy, as you can see, will bring some people together. They will have time to grieve, even if abbreviated. BB and Robin, well, let's say their story is not yet done.

This chapter took longer than usual to write. My 26th chapter in four months. I'm working on a pace of two chapters a week. I will still finish this story (I have anywhere from six to eight chapters to go), but I can feel myself getting tired. Hopefully, I won't slow down too much, but attempting to keep the mood and the 'growing despair' gets tiring. Occasionally, I need the lightness of a chapter like this, or at least some action. After I'm done, I may take a bit of a sabbatical. (No, I will NOT give up my turn at Ganguro, I'm enjoying that too much), but I will take a break before my next project. I have an idea that is germinating, an adventure starring Beast Boy and Robin (I've maligned the poor fellow so much recently, I need to rehabilitate him).

Until next time my friends, sleep well.


	27. Chapter 27

I do not own anything relating to the Teen Titans.

Opening the Closet Door a Crack – Chapter 27

Xxxxxxxxx

It was significantly later when Raven left the cabin to find a quiet place to meditate. While love is a much more pleasant emotion than rage, it is still just as powerful. Therefore, the goth girl needed time for meditation in order to keep her powers under control. Going back into the galley, Raven positioned herself in a lotus and began to chant her mantra.

Several hours later, after determining that she had fully reasserted her control over the potential emotional overload, Raven opened her eyes. Sitting in front of her was Starfire, just watching.

"How long have you been sitting there? WHY are you sitting there?"

"I wish to engage in 'girl talk'. Something wonderful happened last night and I wish to tell you about it."

The purple haired girl let out a long suffering sigh. One of Starfire's wonderful events could be anything from discovering a new TV show (unlikely under the current circumstances) to the announcement that it was klomforch day on Tamaran and everyone had to wear stripes. Right now, Raven was feeling unusually at peace because of the events of the past several hours and wanted to enjoy the mood. Still, when Starfire was in one of her 'wonderful' phases, there was no avoiding it.

"All right, what do you want to tell me?"

"Robin and I performed the Ritual of Remembrance for Victor."

"That's nice. I'm sure Victor would appreciate it."

"Yes it was, very nice. I would like to tell you about it."

Raven sighed again. A long, extremely boring Tamaranean ceremony was NOT on her agenda for the morning. "Very well, what happened?"

"Well, after we removed our clothes,"

"WHAT?" The ceiling light blew out and the coffee maker began sparking. The backup light came on.

"I said after we removed.."

"I HEARD THAT! I DON'T WANT TO HEAR THAT! I NEVER WANT TO HEAR THAT! YOU DON'T SEE ME TALKING ABOUT GAR AND ME!" Raven winced after saying that last sentence. She hadn't intended to say anything to anyone about what had just happened between them, it was still too new to her.

Starfire raised an eyebrow and tilted her head. "Hmmm," she murmured, "Sounds like Robin and I weren't the only ones engaged in the Ritual of Remembrance." Raven began to blush furiously. "Well, all I can say is that it about time. Friend Beast Boy has been in love with you for a long while and I am glad you finally accepted that you love him as well." At that, Raven pulled her hood over her head.

She muttered, "I don't want to talk about it."

"Why not?"

"Because…" she paused, "because…" she stopped again, "because I don't know why! I just don't!" The sorceress was becoming very flustered.

"Perhaps it is too new to you," replied Starfire. "You are not yet comfortable with this new situation? Please take your hood down so I can see your face." Raven sheepishly complied. "Thank you, it is difficult to speak with someone when one cannot see their face."

"It's just….I'm not sure how…..we didn't plan….he told me he loved me." She paused, remembering that moment. "He meant it, I could feel his emotions."

"He always has. His devotion to you has been remarkable."

"Can we talk about something else?"

"Very well, when Robin and I started in the Ritual…"

"NOT THAT!" Starfire looked a bit put out and remained quiet.

After a moment, Raven couldn't resist. "Well, I do have ONE question." Starfire's eyebrows were raised. Raven blushed again. "Umm, what color eyes does Robin have?"

At that, the princess's face fell. "I still do not know. He never removed his mask, not during the entire Ritual. Given how uncomfortable he was, I did not press him."

"Ooooh, Kay. That's starting to fall under the heading of too much information. Can we discuss something, ANYTHING, else?"

Starfire let out a deep sigh. This was going to be more difficult than she thought. She would NEVER understand the bizarre customs and taboos on this planet.

Xxxxxxxxxx

Life over the next several days began to fall into a recognizable pattern for the surviving titans, albeit, in a far different form than they had previously known. While they still grieved for their lost friend, the newfound closeness that had resulted from each seeking comfort strengthened and appeared to be a permanent fixture of their lives. Before, it was boys in one room, girls in another. Now, it was Robin and Starfire in one, Beast Boy and Raven in another.

While the new accommodations helped the four titans emotionally deal with the loss of Victor Stone, it also assisted in another important way. It kept Beast Boy and Robin apart. This was becoming more and more vital as the enmity between the two was growing. Originally, the two seemed to be able to be in the same room and at least tolerate each other.

However, it seemed that with the death of Cyborg, the glue that held the two together as teammates completely dissolved. Robin watched the green teen with undisguised loathing. When Beast Boy saw the boy wonder, there was abject hatred in his eyes. So far, thanks to the efforts of the two remaining titans, the boys had been kept far apart.

This was not easy as both wanted to work on removing the ice from the walls of the star chamber. And in truth, it needed all four titans working together as the ice was eons old and thick. Its removal had to be done delicately so that the underlying mosaic would not be disturbed or damaged. Therefore, the heat had to be turned up considerably (no one objected to that) and the boys kept on opposite sides of the room, working. As a safety measure, Starfire worked closely with Robin and Raven with Beast Boy, anticipating that if some spark set off a confrontation, they would be able to prevent them from attacking each other.

And so, the work continued, slowly the ice was removed and more and more of the mosaic was revealed. It was a delicate balance, trying to accomplish their task all while dealing with the grief over the loss of Victor and the increasing animosity between Robin and Beast Boy. Both girls believed they knew the origins of the growing hatred, Robin's humiliation, Beast Boy's debasement over the years; without a buffer, the two had no release, no way of siphoning off their growing rage with one another. Two individuals, so alike, yet so different. Starfire and Raven did what they could to provide emotional support for the two, but the team's balance had been broken. The death of Cyborg had irretrievably severed the bonds of the team.

Compounding all of the emotional stress was the continued stress of the Antarctica night, the cold, the dark, the enclosed area, sealed, with no room to maneuver, no escape. Trapped in a room that obeyed none of the accepted laws of mathematics, at least as known by humanity. Where at times, the ceiling looked to be 20 feet high, another time, only 10; where for a period, the walls were concave, then suddenly convex. Where the mosaic slowly being unveiled revealed horror after horror, as creatures unimaginable to human consciousness attacked, killed and consumed each other. There was no rest, no peace, save only in sleep, and in the arms of their lovers.

And so, the tension built. Robin began to make uncharacteristically sarcastic comments to the green shape shifter at either the slightest provocation or no provocation at all. Beast Boy began to growl occasionally at the boy wonder, his hair standing on end. At times, his body coiled, as if ready to leap at the teen detective. At that time, only the ministrations and distractions of Raven could deter him.

And she did so. The growing emotional charges being exhibited by the two boys were a constant strain on her control, yet control them she did. At times, usually after Beast Boy had fallen into a deep, if restless, sleep, did the sorceress engage in the meditation necessary for her own emotional well being. At those times, it was Starfire who kept the peace, watching that Raven was kept safe and that the two boys were kept apart.

Only once over that period did it appear that the truce was failing. At one point, a large block of ice fell from the wall between the two male titans, startling them. Robin turned towards Beast Boy, releasing his birdarang at the changeling, who had already morphed into a rhinoceros. Starfire grabbed the birdarang in mid-air, crushing it. Raven had encased Beast Boy in an energy bubble.

"Please Gar, change back." She stated in her monotone. There was an undercurrent of trepidation in her voice despite this, as if she hated what she was doing, but would not hesitate to prevent her lover from harming another, in keeping with the promise she made him days ago.

The green rhino became a teenage boy once again. Tightly wound, he nodded his head in acknowledgement of what she had done and why. Breathing heavily and quickly, he moved to her side and hugged her, thanking her soundless for preventing him from completing the one action that would finish him.

At the same time, Robin was looking at Starfire, his face an unreadable mask. Without a word, he turned back to the wall and resumed the task of chipping at the ice.

Finally, a week or so after Cyborg's death, the titans completed the work of removing the ice and could view the mosaic in its entirety.

In its entirety, it was just as hideous as was the original uncovered piece, more considering the subject matter. It seemed to be a battle between the Elder Ones and the Deep Ones. No quarter was given, the fight appeared to be to extermination. More so, there were other entities that were represented on the mosaic, monstrous creatures that had no right to existence in any sane universe. While the battle spread over the entire room, there was one quarter of the room that seemed to show the central location of the Deep Ones, an island covered in algae, fungus and warped versions of undersea life. On it was a massive stone sarcophagus.

"So, is this real, or just a representation of the battle?" asked Raven.

"No way to tell. My guess is that that island over there is supposed to be R'yleh." Robin replied. "Starfire, does that correspond with your knowledge."

The princess had been carefully looking at the mosaic, turning round and round as she attempted to take in the subject in its entirety. "Yes Robin, I believe this is one of the battles that took place on earth between the Elder Ones and the Deep Ones."

"Wait a minute, are you trying to tell me that completely by accident, we stumbled on the answer on the first TRY? Even I'm not willing to go for that."

Raven looked at the green changeling. "You know, I hate to admit it, but Gar does have a point." He beamed, "Don't get used to it, I'm only agreeing under duress." Beast Boy gave a chuckle at that, the first one heard out of him in over a week. "That IS carrying coincidence too far. Is this supposed to be a museum? A private home?"

"I am not certain. My knowledge of the Elder Ones is limited. With the disappearance of the Old Ones, they fell out of galactic history and are little studied. If I had to make a guess, I would say this is a museum dedicated to the war against the Outer Gods and their disciples. As that was the entire purpose of the Elder Ones existence, it would be their main focus."

"OK, even if we go with that, this doesn't really help us much. We STILL don't know where the island is." Raven pointed out.

Robin was pondering, muttering aloud, "Longitudinal coordinates are out, didn't have them back then. Comparatives distances are out due to continental drift. Star positions are out, after millions of years the star map has shifted. Hmm," he continued to stare at the mosaic, looking at the place in the mosaic where R'yleh was located. There were a number of stars and other objects in the night sky above the island.

"So Robin," interrupted Starfire, "Do you NOW believe that R'yleh is on earth?"

"Oh yes, there's no doubt of that, there's the moon over there, there's Venus and Mars and the other planets, so its….definitely…" Robin stopped for a moment and stared. "THAT'S IT! The stars may have moved, but the planets are consistently around the sun and the earth, we just need to figure out this configuration and adjust for any minor drift over the eons, shouldn't be much, gravitational forces are pretty dependable. Look, they've even got all the planets out to Neptune in the picture. We should be able to figure this out."

"How can you tell it's Neptune?" asked Raven.

"See the color and the moons. These creatures had the same concept, they needed to be able to find the island no matter when and where they were. We just need to load this configuration into the computer and let it come up with a geographical place where this configuration can be seen in THIS particular reference in the South Pacific."

"Excuse me genius," interrupted Beast Boy, "but the antenna's out and we don't have access to the main titan computer back at the tower."

"Listen you," Robin turned to the shape shifter, "butt out regarding things you're too stupid to know about."

"Bird Brain, I know enough that you can't do this with a paper and pencil, regardless of how delusional you are about your brainpower."

"BOTH OF YOU SHUT UP!" shouted Raven. Various objects nearby took on an ominous black glow. "DON'T FORCE ME TO SEND YOU TO SEPARATE DIMENSIONS. AND BEFORE YOU EVEN HINT IT, GAR, I LOVE YOU AND I WILL **STILL** THROW YOU THROUGH THE WALL WHEN YOU ANNOY ME." Beast Boy immediately backed down and looked sheepish. Then a small smile came through.

"That's my girl. I live for abuse."

Raven narrowed her eyes at the changeling, then a small smile appeared on her face as well. The black aura that had appeared in various placed dissipated.

Taking a deep breath, Robin said in a toneless voice, "We can still use the onboard computer. It's not as powerful and will probably take a day or so to come up with a location. But it's worth a try."

"That is marvelous," squealed Starfire, "we can be on our way tomorrow! When will you start programming the computer?"

"I'll start now. While I'm programming, you can break camp and load everything back on the T-jet. We can probably take off while the computer is working. We know the location is somewhere in the South Pacific and it'll take a while to get off of this continent."

With that, the titans parted, each to their task. With Raven's energy manipulation and Starfire's strength, the task of breaking camp was not as onerous as you might expect. It still took a few hours, but it was not something that would take an excessive amount of time.

During that time, Raven came upon Beast Boy standing at the entrance to the corridor where Victor had spent his last few days. It was obvious that the green teen had been reeling in the cords and cables. However, he was now standing still, cords in hand, unmoving. The grey girl came up to him.

"Gar, are you ok?"

Beast Boy turned to his love, there were tears in his eyes. "I'm gonna miss him Rae." The tears began to flow freely. Raven moved towards him and hugged him, letting him get his grief out. He held her tightly as he quietly cried into her shoulder.

After a few moments, Raven interrupted him. "Why don't you say your goodbye to Vic now. I'll retrieve the airlock."

"No, I'll help. I've said my goodbye to him. I hope he's finally happy and at peace."

There was nothing to say after that.

After removing all of their equipment to the T-Jet, Raven took down the portal, sealing the four titans in their craft. While the computer worked, the titans slept. After roughly seven hours, they awoke. The computer was still working on the problem, but they could finally, at long last leave that desolate land.

As the T-Jet flew away from that ancient city, each breathed a sigh of relieve. Although they had left one of their own behind, they were glad to leave that land of darkness and night. Of cold and wind and snow. Leaving those mountains of madness that had claimed one of their own. They knew that the wind and the ice would eventually cover up the mosaic they had uncovered, as it had buried the body of Victor Stone, as it would eventually cover up the hole in the wall that he had created.

A wall that had already been repaired.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxx

Finally, we're finished with the Mountains of Madness arc and are ready for the final arc, "The Call of Cthulhu", Lovecraft's classic work that started it all. I think there are about four chapters left, maybe five. Depends on how I play out the actions on the island.

Meanwhile, my thanks and appreciation for everyone who has been reading this work, who has stuck with it through all of these chapters of madness and death, I am extremely grateful.

On to the reviewers,

Novus Ordo Seclorum – A first my friend, you were first to review. My thanks as always for the compliments. As for the mirror, my intent was not to show that she changed herself, but that she underwent a rearranging of herself. With the realization that she loves Gar, that new understanding of herself caused a considerable readjustment of awareness of who and what she was. Don't we all go through that when we fall in love?

ForceIsStrongWithThisOne – That's the real key. Will the heroes survive? How many will survive (could be all, could be one, only I know the answer. And I'm not telling.) and what condition will they be in? I'm glad you're enjoying the horror story and think highly of it. I have plans for Robin.

Hawkgirl90 – As I said, I've been looking forward to writing this chapter since the very beginning. Glad it helped with the grieving.

Deadly-Sinner – Welcome to the story's reviewers. Glad you've been enjoying the tale. Glad you liked the first mate's statement, I very much enjoyed writing that.

Ijpowers92 – TVTropes FanFic Recommendations? Until you mentioned it, I was not even aware of such a site. Looking through it, I thought it was pretty cool, although I didn't see 'Opening' listed anywhere. Although I very easily could have been looking in the wrong place (just my luck).

Punk – Happy you liked it. I do like to throw people a curve occasionally. You can only write doom and gloom for so long (at least I can). I happen to like sweet.

Kenzie – You're back! Actually, the Hercules scene is consistent with Greek mythology. That was one of the reasons I introduced the hags back in the beginning. I wanted an unequivocal death that no one would not know was final. The hags/fates accomplished this. I'm thrilled I'm in your top 5. My humble thanks.

Bluesummer2012 – Don't worry, as you can see, the Titans are heading for warmer climes now. You know, I have rather the same feeling towards Cyborg. I like him, but without the tether of a romantic interest, he always seems to be added on, a fifth wheel. He's fun, enjoyable, yet he doesn't stir the same interest that I have in the others. Don't really know why myself.

Soulseekerthe13th – Thanks for the 'hints', even I think I might find them now. As I said previously, you can only have so much doom and gloom without SOME light. Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on your viewpoint), it will be all doom and gloom from now on. It's R'yleh, what do you expect?

Until next time my friends, sleep well.


	28. Chapter 28

I do not own anything relating to the Teen Titans.

Opening the Closet Door a Crack – Chapter 28

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The T-Jet made its way over the frozen land of Antarctica, heading for points north. After several hours, the sky began to lighten and the titans saw the sun for the first time in over a week. Despite all that had happened, it was a welcome sight. Onward the jet flew, over desolate white plains, until at last the ocean was sighted. Banking towards the northwest, the T-Jet flew onward, all the while the onboard computer continued to calculate the possible position of the lost island where R'yleh was situated.

Much of the flight occurred in silence. Although the emotional release of leaving that frozen wasteland lifted their hearts, too much had happened. Too much loss, too much acrimony. Even with their newfound relationships, the recent past weighed heavily on them. And so, they flew in silence, awaiting the location of their final destination.

Finally, after several more hours, the computer finished its calculations. "Here it is, translated into latitude and longitude, 47° 9' latitude, 126° 43' longitude."

Raven checked the onboard maps. "Robin," she responded, "that's the middle of nowhere. There's no island there, there's not a speck of land for over a thousand miles in any direction."

"Hey bird brain, you sure you punched in the numbers right?" Beast Boy said with some derision.

Gritting his teeth, Robin replied, "Yes, jackass, I punched in the numbers right. And if you don't shut your mouth, I'll punch out your lights."

"As if you could! You couldn't…."

Raven interrupted, "Quiet, both of you! I swear to Azar, if you two don't knock it off, I really am going to send you to different dimensions. At a minimum, I'll remove BOTH your voices so I can get some quiet."

"Friends," Starfire interjected, "since legendary R'yleh is called sunken, wouldn't it make sense that no visible island be there? The city is probably under water."

After a moment, Robin replied, "Makes sense. We'll head for those coordinates and see what's there. If there's nothing visible, we can always head underneath to the ocean floor and see what's there."

And so they flew on. When they were within an hour or so of the coordinates, Raven began to feel an uneasiness within her. It was an odd feeling, as if there was a heavy disturbance nearby. Almost like the heaviness of the air before a thunderstorm, but less, obvious. More along the lines of a buildup of forces that are portentous in their character.

After this continued for several minutes, intensifying with every passing moment, she spoke. "Robin, there's something up ahead, something big. It's affecting all the magical currents within the area. I don't know if it's dangerous, but it's a major concentration of force."

"No, X'hal, please let it not be Great Cthulhu risen." Starfire looked pale. "Can you tell? Is it him?"

Raven paused before answering, considering, reading the auras. "Nooooo, I don't think so. From everything you've said, I would expect a malignancy underlying the forces on par with my father, if not more. There IS some, but not what I would have expected. It seem to be, almost quiet. Still, it almost feels like someone is conducting some tremendous ritual and is focusing, harnessing vast powers."

"We'll know in a few moments. The area should be in sight soon." Robin answered.

In an undertone, Beast Boy said to Raven, "Rae, will you be all right? These…feelings, they won't be too overwhelming?"

"Do we have any choice?" she gave the changeling a small smile, trying without words to reassure him that she would be fine and not to worry. "Gar, I know you've always worried about me. Even though I've never acknowledged it, I've always appreciated it, thank you." Then her voice became firmer, "BUT, I'm a titan just like you. I'm not about to shirk my responsibilities." Another small smile flew across her face, "I'll still match you, feat for feat, and come out on top."

"OOOOhhhh, you like to be on top. Now I know." Beast Boy gave a lecherous smirk. Raven suddenly began to blush.

In a harsh whisper, "That's not what I meant, you….you….ooooooooh." Raven's face set into a firm scowl. The changeling let out a laugh and hugged his love.

"It's always so much fun to tease you." Then his face turned serious, "Hope I'll always be able to do it. Rae," he paused, "this is the big one, isn't it? We've been able to handle everything up to now. But, this Cthulhu, Vic, everything….." the shapeshifter's head fell. "Can we do it?" He sounded almost ashamed.

Raven looked at the green teenager that she had finally admitted she loved. "Gar, look at your life. Look at everything you've overcome. How can you still doubt yourself? From what you've told me of your time before the titans, I can't believe everything you've gone through and survived. Why would you doubt yourself now?"

"Because I've failed so often." The darkness, the depression that always threatened the heart of the green hero showed itself. "So many have died that I wasn't able to save. Will I be able to do anything, will I show myself worthy of you?" And he looked at her with fear in his eyes, a fear of rejection.

A lifetime of hiding her emotions warred against her feelings. Raven answered the best she could, "You'll do what you always do, more than anyone, including YOU, expects. You'll surprise us all. You always have. You always will." The two fell into silence.

The T-Jet flew on.

Roughly half an hour later, Starfire let out a cry, "There, over there, I see something." The warrior princess was pointing to the northwest.

In the distance, there was an island that had no right to exist. Out of the sea, a great stone pillar rose, below it, from a distance, an island of mingled ooze, mud and weedy Cyclopean masonry emerged, the corpse city of R'yleh, built in the measureless eons beyond history by the vast, loathsome shapes that seeped down from the stars.

It was more than a mere mountaintop that protruded from the waters, an entire city had emerged. How far down and for how long the island had lain, no one could know. The energies, the power necessary to raise this malignant city from the ocean floor was almost incalculable. Yet it had been done. And now, now sunken R'yleh was no longer sunken, but exposed to the surface after millions of years of slumber.

Rather than attempt to land in the midst of that ruin of horror, Robin landed the T-Jet on the shore of the island. Parking the craft along the shore, the titans, in silence, for this land demanded silence, made their way to the shore. As befitting a land that had slumbered under the restless waves for eons, the sands were crawling with the remains of creatures that had not seen the light of day for millennium. Although all were dead, as was much of this horrid island, the sliminess, the sheer abhorrence of these creatures caused the titans to recoil in disgust. Walking inland was an exercise in delicacy as each step had to be carefully placed to avoid the foul remains of some protoplasmic corpse.

All the while, there was an underlying sound, a murmur, reminiscent of religious chanting, that pervaded the background noise of the land.

"Robin," asked Starfire, "should I fly ahead and scout out the area?" The princess had made the offer, as it was one of her regular duties, but it did not appear that she was eager to fulfill it.

After a moment, the boy wonder replied, "No, I don't think so. From what we're seeing here, I'm not sure it would be a good idea to split our team. Safety in numbers seems to be the order of the day."

And so, the titans marched on, making their way towards the great stone pillar that reached to the upmost reaches of the sky. And with every step, the background murmuring grew louder.

The titans passed monolithic towers, buildings of unimagined heights. All of which were covered in slime and ooze as the cleansing properties of the light and sun had not yet had opportunity to sterilize the remains of these undersea monstrosities. It took hours under the blazing tropic sun. The path to the giant pillar at the heart of the island was not a straight one. While any one of the titans could have moved quicker, the malignancy of the city cautioned against such a rash action. Even the most impulsive, hyperactive of the team, Beast Boy, was quiet, solemn, waiting for what lay ahead.

As they walked, the titans passed Cyclopean statues of beings unimaginable, concepts for which humanity had not yet even begun to formulate an idea. Great carven monoliths covered in green ooze that sent primordial chills down the spine of each human, or near human, of the party. Buildings for which the geometry was _**WRONG**_. Angles that were acute one moment, obtuse the next. Spheres that at one point extended to the horizon, then at the next were less than a fingertip. Cylindrical cones that suddenly had corners and edges. All of which distorted the senses and chilled the mind.

And everywhere, everywhere, hieroglyphs and bas-reliefs of beings that resembled some type of creature that could, at best, be described as a cross between a humanoid, a squid and a dragon. Scaly tentacles that emanated from every pore of the creature. Even that could not do it justice, as the stone effigies were weak attempts at capturing the majesty and the horror that was Great Cthulhu.

All the while, as the titans made their way inland, the oppressiveness of the land infected Raven. The sheer heaviness that came from whatever foulness lay ahead pressed down on her. Occasionally, she would stumble, eyes tightly closed, as she mastered herself and was able to resume her trek. Beast Boy, at those times, would hold her, guard her, and help her to her feet. Aware that what lay ahead was have, he would have taken the burden from her, he would spare her anything, everything, to keep her safe.

Although not as aware as her friend, Starfire too felt the oppressiveness of the surroundings. Knowing the true dangers that faced them, the warrior princess strode forward, if not calm, then resolute, accepting the task that lay before her.

And Robin, his thoughts were his own.

As the murmurings grew louder, more clear, the titans had traversed to the center of the island. Rising over one final ridge, the sounds became identifiable. The same phrase repeatedly intoned:

_Ph'nglui mglw'nafh Cthulhu R'yleh wgah'nagl fhtagn_

Below them, in the clearing, lay a tremendous open courtyard. Titanic blocks circled the perimeter of the yard. On each block, save one, were either a statue of some hideous protoplasmic being or the remains of some ruined being. On the final block, nearer to the far end, was a figure laying recumbent.

At the far end of the yard, there was an immense stone carved stone door with a squid-dragon bas-relief. Around the edges was an ornate lintel, threshold and jambs. Given the disturbing geometry, the titans were unable to determine whether it was actually laying flat, like a trap door, or slant-wise, like an outside cellar-door.

In front of this monstrous door, between it and the titans, were the gathered members of the Esoteric Order of Dagon, the Deep Ones, hidden for eons under the sea, on desolate islands and shadowed Innsmouth. All awaiting this momentous time, when at last the celestial forces were properly aligned, and they could resurrect their abhorrent leader, their king, their priest who would usher in the return to glory of the Outer Gods.

Great Cthulhu.

In a whisper, Raven said, "There must be hundreds of them."

"Thousands" responded Beast Boy.

It was true. There were thousands. All standing still in the vast courtyard, arms raised, these frog-like humanoids, with their hairless heads, webbed hands and feet and bulbous, unblinking eyes filled the entire courtyard and beyond. All solemnly intoning their mantra:

_Ph'nglui mglw'nafh Cthulhu R'yleh wgah'nagl fhtagn_

In his house at R'yleh, dead Cthulhu waits dreaming

"Azar, the eldritch concentration that they're generating. The focus, it's enough to raise this sunken city from the ocean floor." Raven was stunned at the sheer magnitude of the force that was being generated by the thousands of Deep Ones.

"Raven, is it enough to raise Great Cthulhu from the dead?" asked Starfire in a tremulous tone.

The purple haired sorceress nodded slowly. "This amount of mystical force could do almost anything. These are not normal human beings. They're magical, ancient creatures who can barely exist in our reality. Their forces are beyond imagining."

"Then, how do we stop it?" asked Beast Boy.

"Why would you want to stop it?" replied Robin.

The three titans looked at their leader in surprise. Robin had removed his mask to get a clearer view of the proceedings. His face alight with joyous rapture, bright blue eyes filled with madness.

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A bit of a short chapter, I'll admit. However, I've been waiting AGES to finish this chapter with that sentence. Next two chapters will also been somewhat shorter than usual, but I'll make it up to you with the finale. Yes, there are only three left. I know exactly what's going to happen (always did), just a matter of getting my mad, scattered thoughts onto paper. (OK, onto the computer, sue me, I'm old fashioned.)

I'm now up to 4100+ hits for the story. While this last chapter didn't get quite as many hits as the previous ones (only 50 vs. 70-100 for the prior four), I'm NOT complaining. It's quite a bump from the 20-30 I was getting at the beginning. To all of you who have joined me and are continuing to stay with me until the end, I am eternally grateful.

I am grateful as well for those of you who are kind enough to post a review of the chapters. I would write regardless, but your kindness is icing on the cake. Onward.

Ijpowers92 – My friend, I am extremely humbled by your posting of my story on TVTropes. To be included with such works as the Joker's Wild is beyond anything I could have expected. I am extremely grateful and hope that this work will justify your tribute.

ForceIsStrongWithThisOne – You know, my friend, you may have been the ONLY one to believe that BB & Raven never got past first base. If you will remember, it was Starfire who suggested that they chromatic couple completed the ritual. Raven never agreed (and I never stated). As you surmised, greater dangers lies ahead on this unholy island.

Kenzie – As you might have guessed from my reply to Force, no one said they actually enacted the Ritual. Given how reserved Raven is, I also would have been surprised if she did. But I wanted to leave it nebulous. Sometimes, the characters get away from me and go off on their own.

Novus Ordo Seclorum – Again, people (including you, my friend) read into the story what you want (hope?). Nowhere did I say they 'did it'. Only Starfire assumed. And as you can see from this chapter, the boy wonder has fallen. How many will remain at the end? Only I know.

Hawkgirl90 – THANK YOU. You were the first to point out the twist ending. I thought it an appropriate, nebulous end to the mountains arc. Did the antenna break of its own accord? Did Cyborg actually SEE something that drove him mad? How did the wall get repaired? These are the mountains of madness. There are more secrets there than mortal man could expect.

Malconvoker – Welcome to the story, glad you could join us. Sir, even if all you know is the titans from the series, that will suffice. My intent in the story was to introduce Lovecraft to the casual reader. Given that you already know of it from "Call of Cthulhu", you're several steps ahead. I'm happy you are enjoying the tale and hope the last few chapters don't disappoint. You are correct, NO ONE goes into the Mythos and emerges unscathed.

Deadly Sinner – I'm going to try to get the last three chapters over the next two weeks. Can't promise (beloved wife may have input on my time), but this has been ongoing for four months, it's time to wrap it up.

Soulseekerthe13th – Welcome to Robin's madness, next chapter, we'll see how far down it goes.

Until next time my friends, sleep well.


	29. Chapter 29

I do not own anything relating to the Teen Titans.

Opening the Closet Door a Crack – Chapter 29

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The three titans turned towards their leader. Beast Boy let out a growl and the hair on the back of his head began to rise. The two girls looked stunned. "Robin?" Raven asked, "Are you all right?"

"Never been better. Have you ever seen anything like this before?" He continued to stare at the ceremony before him.

"Robin, did you not tell me you were not hearing voices?" asked Starfire. "Have you misled us?"

"No, I'm not hearing voices…." The boy wonder continued to stare at the scene in front of him, eyes revealing more of the madness within, unfocused, consumed by the ceremony before him. In a whisper, "it's like my dreams."

"Dreams?" queried Raven. She had not considered this, "What dreams?"

Without removing his eyes from the courtyard before him, Robin began to whisper, "I have done the _Dream Quest to Unknown Kadath_. Met with _Nyarlathotep_ and seen his beauty. I have seen _The Doom that Came to Sarnath_. I know why no man may kill _The Cats of Ulthar_. I have sailed _The White Ship_ and gone _Through the Gates of the Silver Key_ to visit _The Nameless City_. In my dreams, I have found greatness far _Beyond the Wall of Sleep_." His voice trailed off.

The shock of these revelations, and the insanity that was growing with every word gave each titan pause. "Robin," Raven continued quietly, so as not to break the trace, "When did these dreams start?"

"Forever and forever." His voice trailed off again. Without looking at the others, he began to walk slowly down the slope of the hill, towards the courtyard, towards the ceremony, to add his voice to the throng, chanting as he went:

_ Ph'nglui mglw'nafh Cthulhu R'yleh wgah'nagl fhtagn_

In his house at R'yleh, dead Cthulhu waits dreaming

Beast Boy turned and coiled, ready to pounce and attack the former leader of the titans. Raven put a hand on his arm. "Don't, he's completely mad. He has no concept any longer of what's going on. What you're seeing isn't what he's seeing. Obviously, the Outer Gods found a different way into his mind. While he was entranced, I took a look. With Victor, they used fear; with Richard, they used curiosity. They realized his mind was too disciplined to response to fear, but the quest for knowledge, that he would succumb to. All of it a lie, but he can no longer tell the difference. The person we knew as Richard Grayson isn't really there anymore."

At that, Starfire let out a sob. "No, X'hal, no. I thought he was strong. I believed that he would be able to resist the Outer Gods. He has always been so strong."

"He's still strong," Raven responded, trying to comfort her friend. "This was the only way they could possibly break him, to get at him through his obsession to know. I'm not sure any human could resist that." At that, Starfire gave a penetrating look at the purple haired sorceress.

"Yes, perhaps you are right."

"Enough," Beast Boy said sharply. "We have a job to do. Regardless of what's happened to the boy idiot," obviously, the changeling still harbored considerably resentment and dislike of the fallen titan leader, "we need to keep this from going any further. Raven," the tone of command was surprising to the Azarathean, she looked towards the green boy who seemed to grow in stature with every moment, "Assuming this ceremony is designed to raise Cthulhu, the next step would be to break it up. If we can knock out enough of these…things" he spat out that last word in a tone of pure disgust, "maybe we can prevent that from happening. OK, go for as many as you can. Titans, Together!"

Falling into habits long engrained by years of training, Starfire and Raven immediately leaped into action. The two flew towards the multitude of Deep Ones inhabiting the plaza. Beast Boy followed, morphing into a gazelle to follow them down to the throng. On the way, they passed the brightly clothed form of Robin, slowly walking down in a trance.

Reaching the bottom, Beast Boy changed into a Tyrannosaurus Rex, whipping his extended tail around, attempting to scatter the creatures. Raven used her black energy powers in a similar way and Starfire, blasting her starbolts into the crowd. With the first foray into the mass, dozens of Deep Ones were knocked down to the ground. However, unlike most battles, these warped versions of amphibious frogmen did not race into battle against the titans. Those that were unconscious, stayed on the ground. They were few in number as it turned out to be quite difficult to knock them out. Those that were simply stunned, rose to their feet and, rather than give battle, simply stood and began their chant once again. After several minutes, with only a very few Deep Ones being knocked unconscious, the three ceased their attack and regrouped.

"Man, what is WITH these dudes, don't they fight back?"

"If I'm reading the mystical portents correctly, they are so focused on their concentration to raising Cthulhu, they do not recognize that they are being attacked."

"Then friends, how long will it take to render all of these creatures unconscious?"

Beast Boy and Raven looked at one another, then at Starfire. "I don't know," said Raven. "Given how many of them, the difficulty of knocking them out, some will probably revive before we've gotten to all of them." She paused.

"Then, I suspect they are all tied closely into this resurrection web. Even if they are knocked out, on a very low level they'll continue to feed their mystic energy into the task of resurrecting Cthulhu."

"Then, the only sure way to prevent them from resurrecting Great Cthulhu is to destroy them utterly. It is time to put aside your human sensibilities and accept that this is a war."

Beast Boy and Raven looked stunned at what Starfire was suggesting. "Uhh, Starfire, you're not suggesting what I think you're suggesting, are you?" asked Beast Boy.

"The Deep Ones must be exterminated."

Beast Boy's face hardened. "No, I won't do that. I will NEVER do that. There's always another way."

"Then you condemn the universe to destruction," she said simply. With that she turned to the nearest Deep One and fired a starblast at him, "I am required by my oaths to do anything and everything to prevent that." The starblast blew a hole through the middle of the Deep One and exited the other side, hitting a second and a third before finally exhausting its force. Starfire began to walk steadily through the crowd, blasting away in various directions at the unresisting creatures. She did not fly as she wanted to conserve her strength for the task that lay ahead, the massacre of the multitudes of Deep Ones.

The effect, however, wasn't what was expected. With the first death, Raven felt a small dizziness, with the second and third, she had to put her left hand to her temple, attempting to keep from falling over. With the next several, the grey sorceress fell to the ground, writhing.

"STARFIRE, STOP! COME BACK, SOMETHING'S WRONG WITH RAVEN!" the changeling shouted out. He rushed to his love's side and lifted her head from the ground. He was trying desperately to get her eyes to refocus. Starfire had looked back without stopping firing, suspecting that this was some ruse by Beast Boy to prevent her from fulfilling her duty. When she saw him bend down to pick her up, she knew there was something amiss. Breaking off the attack, she hurried back and knelt down next to Beast Boy.

"Raven, what is the trouble? What has caused you to collapse?" she asked, torn between concern for her friend and suspicion that this was some subterfuge by the two to stop the killing. After a few moments, Raven's eyes seemed to clear and refocused.

Raven's eyes went wide and she grabbed onto Starfire's arm, "Starfire, you CAN'T kill them!" The princess's face hardened as she realized that she had been tricked.

"NO, you're human morals mean nothing now. It is time for battle."

The Azerathean shook her head, "No, you don't understand, you're only making it worse." At that both Starfire and Beast Boy looked puzzled. The purple-haired girl saw their confusion.

"Look, this is a mystical ceremony designed to focus the Deep One's chi and use it to raise R'yleh and resurrect Cthulhu."

"Uhh, chi?" asked the shapeshifter.

"Their life forces, the energy that all beings have. It can be manipulated and used for various tasks and abilities, some people call it their souls, but there's some debate regarding that." She saw that the Tamaranean was becoming impatient. "Bear with me, this is how all magic works. It uses the chi of people to manipulate energy fields, among other things. "

"In white magic, the chi used either comes from within or from those willing to give of themselves freely. In black magic, it is taken from others, often forcibly. It's also used to impose your will on others. That's how I knew Malchoir was teaching me black magic. With normal magic, I can only encourage things to happen, I can't force it. When I forced Gar to change back, I knew it was black magic."

"What does this have to do with killing the Deep Ones," Starfire was getting more than a little aggravated by this discussion, there was a battle to be fought.

"I'm getting to it. One of the short cuts that black magic usually uses is the unwilling sacrifice of the life force of others. It's called 'blood magic'. Basically, it's a short cut. By the rending of another's chi from their body, you release tremendous amounts of energy. It's at the cost of a perversion of your own chi, but usually practitioners of black magic have already either accepted a corruption of their soul or have traded it away for some extra abilities. White magic also uses it at times, but generally it is a self-sacrificing. This is why some mages are able to perform wondrous deeds at their death, their self-sacrifice basically releases the entirety of their chi to accomplish their task."

"Look, Rae, this is all really interesting, but what does it have to do with these creatures."

"Gar, I need to explain it first so you understand. These creatures have tied themselves into a ritual of black magic where they are focusing their chi into raising Cthulhu. They're doing it the slow way for some reason, I'm not sure why, probably so they will be able to offer themselves to Cthulhu when he awakens. Unfortunately, Starfire, when you're killing them, you're releasing tremendous amounts of energy through the focus their using. And it's going into Cthulhu."

Starfire's eyes widened. "You mean, with every death, we increase the power that's going to Cthulhu?"

"Yes, by tremendous amounts. It's the difference between the drip of water in a sink and turning the tap on full. With every death, you accelerate his resurrection."

The princess looked almost defeated. "How much time do we have? How much more energy is needed to raise Great Cthulhu?"

At that, in addition to the background sound of the chanting hordes, another sound was heard. A slow grinding as ancient stone rubbed against ancient stone, neither of which had moved in eons. The great door that led to the tomb of Cthulhu had just moved. It rather resembled a garage door, slowly swinging up, even though it was one huge slab. The non-Euclidean geometry of the design made the door seem to be rising to the heavens, as if heaven would accept so blasphemous an entity as Cthulhu. While the door had not opened much, it was slow and steady, enough so that the blackness within was revealed. No matter how much light was about, it did not penetrate the inkiness that lay within.

"Not enough," replied Raven in a whisper.

"So, we're too late, Great Cthulhu has awoken?"

Raven paused for a moment, closing her eyes and concentrating. "No, not yet, we're only on the fringes of the awakening. Apparently, the opening of the door takes time and by the time the door is fully open, Cthulhu will be resurrected."

Beast Boy and Starfire stared at the grey girl in horror, eyes wide, mouths agape. Then, the green teen closed his mouth and a look of determination came over his face. He turned towards the great stone door and his eyes narrowed, considering. He began to run towards the door. Changing to a cheetah, he picked up speed. As he approached the steadily rising door, he gauged his distance, the height of the door and his speed. Just before reaching the door, he changed once again, this time to a triceratops, razor sharp horns protruding from the crest of his head, an additional horn on his nose.

And plunged full speed into the stygian darkness where Cthulhu lay, waiting.

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Last chapter, I was so focused on addressing the BB/Raven 'did they or didn't they' issue, I forgot completely about explaining the story that this final arc is based on. Sorry about that.

Obviously, this is based on 'Call of Cthulhu', which is the first of the Cthulhu mythos stories. It made use of concepts and ideas that he had previous utilized, but this was the first real flowering of his world. It was published in 1928 and became the foundation of many of his later stories. It's actually in three parts, the first based on a series of dreams that various sensitive people around the world experience, the second on the 'Cult of Cthulhu' and the third on some sailors who make their way to this malign island and meet up with Cthulhu.

I made use of some of the description of the island in my last chapter, especially the tower and the door to the tomb. I did have to expand upon it as there are some details I needed for my story that were not mentioned (I think HP would understand). In this chapter, the reverie that Robin gives, especially his dreams, is based on the first part of the 'Call of Cthulhu'.

There is one other thing. Lovecraft wrote more than just the Cthulhu stories. He was also a bit of a fantasist, always with a touch of horror. These dealt with mythical lands and legends. During Robin's recitation of the quests he's undergone, there are a number of italicized words and groupings. These are all titles of various Lovecraft stories, mostly the fantasy horror. He wrote, all told, some 68 stories and short novels. As with any writer, some good, some not as good. Overall, I've probably referenced about a quarter of them, one way or another, throughout this entire story.

OK, enough lessons. Now for the thanks. As always, I am grateful for the various readers who continue to stay with me throughout this incredibly extended storyline. Patience my friends, next chapter is the penultimate, then the finale. As for what will happen, hopefully many of you remain uncertain regarding the final disposition of participants. (OK, Cyborg will stay dead, other than that I mean).

As for my very gracious reviewers, my eternal thanks.

Flood125 – Thank you for your appreciation of my twist. I've tried quite diligently to foreshadow all of the twists and turns in this story so that it's a surprise when it happens, but upon reflection the thought is, he warned us chapters ago with this, didn't he. Even if we didn't realize it at the time.

ForceIsStrongWithThisOne – Ah my friend. These are heroes, they always go down swinging. Hell is indeed about to break loose, but, perhaps not in the way you think.

Malconvoker - Yes, you hit on the perfect point. He and Cyborg were the only 'fully human' members of the titans and, therefore, the most susceptible. Again, the plan from the beginning. Thanks for staying for the last few chapters.

Blues32 – Believe it or not, for several weeks, that part troubled me. I was trying to figure out some way to avoid an all out massacre (essentially, taking the easy way out). It finally occurred to me to make it prohibitively dangerous to kill the Deep Ones, but I needed a good explanation. Hopefully, this will satisfy you and not seem like a cop out.

Anon – Thanks for stumbling into the world of Lovecraft. Glad you could join us for the ending.

Ijpowers92 – I'm blushing and extremely grateful that you think so highly of the story. Truthfully, I really liked that opening, thought it gave a "Twilight Zone" feel to the beginning, as well as being in keeping with some of Lovecraft's purple prose.

Soulseekerthe13th – Hmmm, looks like you enjoyed the decent into madness. It's fun and there are no dues. As you can see from above, I cannibalized some of Lovecraft's own descriptions to get to R'yleh. I'd love to take all the credit, but fair is fair, the master was there first.

Kenzie – No, you're correct, Robin went off the deep end. And yet, you are also right in that he sees something the others do not. Unfortunately, it's not real. I agree, the chapter was a little slow as I had to get the titans to R'yleh, and traveling is not the most exciting of storylines. Not sure this one is much better, truth to tell, as, again, there's more explanation than action. Hopefully, you'll still like it.

Novus Ordo Seclorum – As you can see, the darkness of the storyline grows with each passing chapter. You were correct, Robin was covering up and now you can see why and how. As for why the friction between Robin and BB, patience my friend, patience.

Until next time my friends, sleep well.


	30. Chapter 30

I do not own anything relating to the Teen Titans.

Opening the Closet Door a Crack – Chapter 30

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"GAR! NO!" Raven let out a scream once she realized what the green shapeshifter was doing. She began to fly toward Beast Boy as he was running towards the opening maw that held the remains of Cthulhu. Unfortunately, the cheetah is the fastest animal on the earth, the speed that he reached was far beyond what she was able to reach. Once he morphed to a dinosaur (she didn't know the particular breed) and disappeared into the deepest darkness of the tomb, Raven stopped and let out a wail of despair. The nearest stone pillar was enveloped in black energy and disintegrated into dust. The enchantress fell to her knees, staring at the spot where her love had left her.

Additional black auras began to form around various stone objects in the vicinity. Those that were closer seemed to crumble to dust before Starfire's eyes, others began to show the stress of Raven's overwhelmed emotional state. Throughout her life, Raven had had to maintain rigid controls over her rage, as that was the vehicle that her father would use to enter their universe.

Unfortunately, because Raven spent most of her life controlling her more violent emotions, the gentler emotions had been largely ignored as, at the time, they were not as dangerous. Consequently, she was completely unprepared for all the ramifications of the effects that love would have on her emotional stability.

Such as its loss.

Time stood still as the Azarathean stared at the slowly opening door.

Rage is an all consuming emotion, but so is love. More so as it permeates every pore of a person's being. Between love and rage, rage is the more violent of the two, yet love is the stronger, more encompassing. This is the glory of love. This is the also its weakness. In the blossom of its beginning, these feelings have not yet had a chance to settle, to become completely contained within a person. They are at their strongest, most turbulent, most unruly. This is why during the initial stages of love, people are driven to extremes in their behavior, either good or bad. They have not yet had time to process it all and make it fit comfortably in their lives. This is why Romeo and Juliet, when each saw the other was lost to them, made the ultimate sacrifice.

So, for Raven to see her newly acknowledged love disappear into the stygian darkness was crushing. The sorceress had no defense mechanism. She continued to stare at the spot Beast Boy had vanished.

Then, suddenly, an object at tremendous speed shot out from the depths of the tomb. It was limp and green. Raven's head shot up at the object flying past her. Turning around, the grey girl, eyes wide, sent out her black energy to catch the flying object and gently reel it in to her, setting it, with utmost delicacy, on the pavement in front of her. Starfire hurried over to her friend.

"Gar, please Gar, don't leave me." The sorceress had the limp body of Beast Boy in her arms. His eyes were closed. Tears were streaming down her face as she rocked back and forth in overwhelming sorrow.

"Raven, is Beast Boy…."

"I….I…I'm not sure." The uncertainty in Raven's voice was highly out of character. Even when she didn't know the situation, she acted like she did. In between sobs, she said "His….His….His mind is in shock. I don't know what he saw in there. Whatever it was, it's damaged his mind. I….I…don't know if he'll survive." Then, ignoring Starfire, she spoke to the boy in her arms, "Please Gar, please come back to me. I can't make it without you." She bent her head over her lover, the tears falling on his face. "Please, please, please…." She began to softly sob.

Starfire stood over the two titans, the green shapeshifter, lying prone on the ground, motionless, the grey enchantress consumed with grief. The orange girl straightened up and looked around.

She was alone. Surrounded by the hordes of the Deep Ones, in the midst of the ritual to raise Cthulhu, she was the last titan standing.

They had fallen one by one. To death, to madness, to injury, to grief. At the end, it was the warrior princess from Tamaran who remained standing. The last remaining barrier to the rise of dead Cthulhu. If she were to fail now, Cthulhu would rise from his eons long sleep to bring the Outer Gods back to the universe, resulting in the death and destruction of all who lived everywhere.

There was no one else.

It all depended on her.

Within the being of the warrior from Tamaran, two instincts fought. The first was the weaker. She was young, she was alone. Her friends had all failed or succumbed to the final horror. Against the greatest evil the universe knew, how could she hope to prevail?

But then the response. She was a warrior princess, leader of a planet, a race of warriors. People whose whole existence was dedicated to fighting, even against impossible odds. There was no giving up. She would find a way.

With that thought upmost in her mind. Starfire straightened up and looked around.

"_Think Koriand'r, think. What has Robin said over the years, fight smarter, not harder. Use what he's taught you."_ The princess considered her position. _"What else has he told you? When all else fails, reexamine the evidence. Well, Cthulhu is about to rise. NO KORIAND'R, forget that part. Remember the ceremony."_

"_OK, let me think. I read about the ceremony on the page of forbidden knowledge."_ And the warrior threw her mind back to the moment several weeks ago when she had been back in Arkham, reading from the Necronomicon. _"It must be the right star configuration, they are performing the resurrection ceremony. There are thousands of them, so they must have enough, what was the word Raven used? Chi. There are too many to render unconscious and Raven said I must not kill any more otherwise it will hasten Cthulhu's return. So, I cannot change the stars, I cannot affect the participants. What else was left? Let me see, there was a focal locus, whatever that is. And Great Cthulhu."_

The Tamaranean looked around. _"Since the only thing left is the focal locus, let me concentrate on that. According to the book, it should be somewhere between the followers and Great Cthulhu." _Over to the left of the great stone door was a dais, they had noticed it from above earlier but not given it much attention. On it was a figure. Starfire moved over to the stone alter. A man lay there. He looked grizzled, emaciated, face covered in weeks of beard growth. His eyes were open, but unseeing. Better yet, they were seeing something that she couldn't, for there was a look of horror and pain on his face. His mouth was open and he was drooling, gargling inarticulately.

At long last, the titans had found Randolph Carter.

Starfire stared at the remaining wreck of the man that had once been a noted anthropologist, one of the leaders in the field. What was left was barely human, starved and tortured by things seen and unseen.

"_This is where the focal locus is supposed to be, but what IS a focal locus? I see this poor wretch; Doctor Carter has obviously been through more than any of us. What is a focal locus? Is this it? Is it the table? What is it supposed to DO? What did Robin always say? When you don't have enough facts, get more."_

She looked around. The door continued to open slowly, it was roughly one quarter open now. Time was running out. "_Dr. Carter is unable to help me. The Deep Ones will certainly not help me. Robin is mad. Beast Boy is unconscious."_ She looked over at her best friend, cradling her green teammate in her arms and hardened her heart against the task she knew she must do.

Raven must be brought to her senses long enough to answer a question.

With a purposeful stride, Starfire marched over to her two comrades. Raven was still sitting on the ground with Beast Boy in her lap. Only now she was hitting his shoulder. "You stupid, impulsive, imbecilic idiot. You don't always have to do everything yourself. You could have let me help. Why don't you THINK before you act!" Then, she broke down again and started crying. "Gar, I'm sorry. Please wake up, please don't leave me. I didn't mean it." She bent her head down over him and her tears once more fell upon his face.

Starfire considered. This would be a little difficult. She had to do something that would enable Raven to respond coherently, without doing something that would render her unable to speak. She was not used controlling her strength to this level of delicacy. Kneeling down in front of Raven, she very carefully struck the grief-stricken girl across the face.

She was careful, but maybe not careful enough. Raven's head was rocked back, although she stopped crying. Starfire could see her weaving back and forth as she attempted to clear her mind from the blow. The warrior princess did not give her a chance to fall back into the incapacitating grief.

"Raven, listen to me! I need your help."

"Huh, wah?"

"Friend Raven, I need you to tell me something. What is a focal locus?"

Still a bit groggy, Raven replied, "Focus, I told you what a focus was." She shook her head.

"NO! LISTEN TO ME! I NEED TO KNOW WHAT A FOCAL LOCUS IS!"

"Yes, focus, I'm trying to."

Starfire was ready to lose her composure at this. "NO! A FOCAL LOCUS!"

Raven's eyes cleared. "That's what I said, a focus. Focal locus is the old magical term for focus. Over the years, the term's been corrupted into focus. The focal locus is the focal point that is the geometric locus for the concentrated energies that people use to harness their magical abilities. Kind of like a magnifying glass focuses the sun's rays on one locus, a point to burn something."

The explanation set Starfire back a bit. This wasn't the kind of answer she had been expecting. "All right, that tells me what it is, I guess, but WHAT is one, what kind of THING is a focal locus."

"Oh, uhhh, usually some type of jewel or magical artifact. Something that could handle the concentrated energies without deteriorating, without overloading and exploding. It would then be concentrated on the task that needed to be done."

"And this ceremony is using one?"

"Yes, I told you before. Anytime you kill one of the Deep Ones, the magical surge goes through the focus they're using to hasten Cthulhu's awakening."

Starfire looked back at Dr. Carter. A hollowness began to form in the pit of five of her stomachs. "Could…could a person be used as the focal locus?"

"Certainly, it's grounded in their chi and focused through the mind. It's extremely potent but very dangerous. It tends to burn out the mind rending the person pretty much dead. The grounding uses up the person's chi at an enormous rate in order to keep the mind able to concentrate the magical energies on the task at hand."

The Tamaranean warrior sat back for a moment, staring, considering. She looked at the great door swinging open. It was now more than a third open and the pace accelerating. Time was running out.

Raven had turned her eyes back to Beast Boy, who had remained in her lap. Her face crumpled and the tears began to flow once more.

"RAVEN, PLEASE, I need to know one more thing. Will the destruction of the focal locus release all of the energy into Great Cthulhu and awaken him?"

There was no answer, Raven was rocking back and forth, crying openly again.

Starfire looked at her friend. Time was running out and she did not believe she would be able to rouse the sorceress again. A decision had to be made. She rose to her feet and hurried back to the side of the anthropologist. Staring down at the drooling madman, she considered.

"_If I do nothing, Great Cthulhu rises and all is lost. If I destroy the focal locus, then either the energies feed straight into Great Cthulhu, waken him and all is lost. Or the energies dissipate and the ceremony is halted, giving us time."_

Starfire looked up at the eternal stars. "_My people, I will do the best I can to save you from this horror. X'hal, please, guide my decision."_

"Doctor Carter, I am sorry to do this to you. I am certain you are a good man. But between you and the universe, I am afraid the universe must take priority. I do not believe you would wish to live like this in a world where Great Cthulhu lives. Please forgive me."

With that the warrior princess from Tamaran took several steps back and focused all of her power. Giving a final prayer to her god, she aimed the starbolts from both arms and both eyes at full power, incinerating Dr. Randolph Carter.

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Very well. All the pieces are in place. All the loose threads picked up and carefully arranged. You have the explanations present. Now we're down to one final, terrible decision that Starfire has made, for good or for ill. The next chapter is the final chapter, deciding the fate of the universe. Since I posted the last chapter only two days ago, I've had 55 hits on that chapter. A total of 4,550 since I began this long journey into madness and death. My most sincere thanks to everyone who has stayed with me through this, 30 full chapters and almost 100,000 words. I hope I have not disappointed too many.

Once more, my thanks to my reviewers. Fewer this time than before, but still, many old and faithful friends (and a few newer ones as well).

TheForceIsStrongWithThisOne – Hopeless, perhaps not entirely hopeless. But as you can see, the darkness grows with each passing moment. Only one desperate choice remains. Still, at least Raven got to see Beast Boy again. One side note, a tribute to your abilities. We had a reviewer for Ganguro that thought that Chapter 2 (or 3, can't remember) was so well done, it was either you or Sir Alwick. See, people automatically assume the good stuff is yours. (That's assuming what I wrote was good stuff).

Malconvoker – Difficult to remember EVERYTHING that's going on in Lovecraft's world. Don't beat yourself up on it. Remember, I had this all planned out from the beginning. How's this for a compromise, he got out of the tomb alive, if not completely healthy. At least Raven got to see him again. There's always hope.

Kenzie – No, Robin does not really know what he is doing. I guarantee that. You know, in all honesty it never occurred to me to bring in the other titans. Probably because my focus (focal locus?) was on the core five, as with most of my stories. In hindsight, Aqualad would have been useful against the Deep Ones. Score one for you. Glad you enjoyed the chapter.

Bluesummer2012 – Happy endings? As I like to say, I won't even guarantee the sun will rise tomorrow. You hit one of my primary issues squarely, the lack of fighting, battles. Very seldom in any of Lovecraft's works are there physical battles. Most of the action takes place in exposition and mood. I've tried to keep to this concept without disappointing the action fans too much. Hence the running battles between Robin and Beast Boy.

Novus Ordo Seclorum – Ah, my friend, yes, Beast Boy was bold and selfless (could he be anything else), but there are two other overriding traits that he has always displayed. Impulsiveness and a desire to go straight to the 'bad guy'. In this case, it didn't work. One of the reasons why Raven was 'yelling' at him for being so idiotic. As a result, you can see that, indeed, each titan's flaw brought them low: Cyborg's fear, Robin's curiosity, Beast Boy's impulsiveness and Raven's emotional control.

My friends, I hope to have the final chapter by the end of the weekend. Can't promise on the exact date, not like 'Too Young', which I had already written. I've yet to write it although I know every detail of the conclusion.

Until next time my friends, sleep well.


	31. Chapter 31

I do not own anything relating to the Teen Titans.

Opening the Closet Door a Crack – Chapter 31

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With the disintegration of the focal locus, the concentrated forces that had been stored within the body of Randolph Carter exploded outward. There was no actual explosion per se, at least on this plane of existence. However, the pent up psychic forces, with nowhere directed to go, therefore went everywhere.

Starfire quickly turned to the tomb holding Cthulhu. What had moments before been a slowly opening door, began to accelerate as the forces crashed in on the tomb. The tsunami released by the princess's actions cascaded through the ether and the door was now halfway open.

Eyes widening in horror, the warrior from the stars watched as the door continued to swing open; until, at roughly 2/3rd of the way, the cascading force was spent and the door ceased moving for a moment.

Then, it came crashing closed, sealing Cthulhu in his dreaming death once again.

Starfire let out a long held breath and fell to her knees. Hunched over she began to breath heavily as the shock of the moment overwhelmed her.

However, there were other effects from the released chi forces.

For one, the Deep Ones had been so absorbed in their ritual, they had taken no notice of the titans. Instead, their concentration was solely on feeding their chi into the focal locus. With that avenue cut off due to the bodily disintegration of Randolph Carter, the feedback was sufficient to knock all of the Deep Ones off of their feet and rouse them from their dreamlike stupor. Slowly, the Deep Ones regained their footing and looked around, searching for the cause of the interruption of their ceremony to raise mighty Cthulhu.

Their gaze fell upon Starfire.

While they proceeded to regain their full faculties, there was a momentary diversion. A red and green clothed figure was running full bore through the crowds, screaming incoherently. Robin was racing towards Starfire as fast as she had ever seen him. Inwardly, she began to hope and a smile came to her face. With him, she had no doubts regarding their ability to take on the Deep Ones.

Robin reached the landing where Starfire was situated.

And ran past her.

The boy wonder reached the giant stone door and began pounding on it, "CTHULHU! CTHULHU!"

What little hope that had been kindled in Starfire's heart was extinguished. She would have to face them alone. Rising to her feet, head held high, she turned towards the massed forces of the Deep Ones.

There was another effect of the destruction of the focal locus. With the spillover of concentrated power extending everywhere, Raven, in the midst of her grief, was suddenly overwhelmed by these forces. Grabbing her head against the searing pain that was stabbing through her brain, she began to writhe in agony. Finally, with the passing of the spent wave, she let out a groan.

Moaning softly, she raised her head and stared around. The view that met her eyes was disturbing. Thousands of Deep Ones advancing on Starfire, Robin, pounding madly on the tomb door.

Her lover unconscious in front of her.

No, there was no time for that. Starfire was in trouble. There was at least ONE person she could try to help. She would think about Gar later. And hope there was a later. In any case, if it turned out that Gar was dying (or already dead?), then if she died fighting the Deep Ones, well, at least she could hope to see Gar again in the land beyond.

Floating up from her position, she flew over to Starfire's side.

"Need a hand?"

"I think, friend Raven, I need a thousand hands." Despite their predicament, Starfire was glad to see the grey girl come to her senses.

"Sorry, only have two."

"It will have to do. On to battle."

"Come on Starfire, this may be your only chance to say it."

Despite herself, Starfire let out a small chuckle. There were thousands of lumbering Deep Ones advancing on them, yet the forms must be maintained. "Very well, TITANS GO!"

With that, Starfire and Raven met the Deep Ones.

It was fortunate that the Deep Ones had not been expecting a fight. This ritual was simply to raise Cthulhu. The attack on the universe would follow his resurrection. Their weapons were not at hand. Still, there were rocks, clubs and other means to attack the two figures who had dared to stop the restoration of their god. They pelted the twain with rocks, advanced on them swinging clubs and at the end, began to simply swing their fists attempting to strike the pair.

For their part, each girl fought in their own inimitable fashion. Raven manipulated her black energy forces and began to shield the two of them from the various rocks and stones, although some did get through. With the rocks that had been deflected, she returned the throws.

The warrior princess from Tamaran fought as she had been taught all those years ago. With ferocity and with no quarter given. These were the servants of Great Cthulhu, they were not permitted to exist. Starbolt after starbolt shot from her hands through the ranks. When Raven saw what she was doing, she was taken aback.

"Starfire, what are you doing? YOU'RE KILLING THEM!"

"Yes, there is no longer a focal locus, so there is no need to hold back anymore."

"BUT YOU'RE KILLING THEM!"

"Raven, whether you like it or not, this is WAR! The victors are those who survive. Not those who fight nicely." With that, she turned once again to the hordes and began blasting.

The Azerathean stared at her friend for a moment. _"Kill them? But we don't kill. But this is war."_ With that, she lifted a number of rocks, intending to speed them through the masses of Deep Ones, possibly killing them. _"How easy it would be. It would be justified. They are trying to destroy us and the universe. They've hurt Gar. All I'd have to do is let my demon nature free."_ Somewhere, deep within her mind, rage began to stir, pent up, caged not by Raven's meditation, but by the displacement due to another, stronger emotion, love.

"_No, I won't do it. I'm NOT A DEMON! I won't kill."_ She took a quick peek over at the prone form of Beast Boy. _"Gar, you're right. It's too easy. It makes us less than who we are. If we die here, I want to be human."_ With that, she reduced the force she was going to use to something that would simply scatter them or possibly injure them. And the battle resumed.

Unfortunately, despite Starfire's starbolts and Raven's energy manipulation, there were too many of them. The rocks and stones that did make it through the shields eventually began to land on the two titans. While Starfire was strong, she was not indestructible, same with Raven. Bleeding from various cuts and bruised in numerous places, Raven finally landed, exhausted. Starfire continued to blast the Deep Ones in every direction, even though her starbolts were showing signs of weakening. There were simply too many of them. She may have killed dozens, if not hundreds. Raven may have injured or knocked out dozens or hundreds, but there were many hundreds, if not thousands more. They were being overwhelmed by sheer force of numbers.

It was then that the final effect of the death of Randolph Carter occurred.

A rumble was felt underneath their feet, knocking all of the adversaries to the ground. Without the continual flow of energy from the Deep Ones, R'yleh was returning to the ocean floor. It had remained at the surface for a period of time, until the energies already infused in the city were exhausted. Now, with no reserves left, the island began to sink once more.

The Deep Ones were slowly able to regain their footing, although it was difficult due to the constant vibrations underneath their feet. Almost as one, they turned about and began to scatter, each making their way to the shoreline and the safety of the ocean. While they did not by any means fear the oncoming water, the power of the waves could potentially batter them into the ruins that made up lost R'yleh. So, they departed.

Rising from the ground as well, Starfire hovered above the ground to avoid the vibrations. She stared at the retreating figures in confusion. "_Why are they leaving, they were defeating us. They had already injured Raven."_ With that, her attention turned towards the sorceress. Flying to her side, Starfire attempted to revive her friend.

"Raven, Raven, are you all right? Can you speak?"

Slowly opening her eyes, the Azerathean looked at the Tamaranean. "Where are they? Did you kill them all? Why is the ground shaking?" Suddenly, Raven's eyes went wide as she felt the absence of the eldritch forces that had supported the island.

"AZAR, the island is sinking! Starfire, we've got to get off the island NOW!"

"That must be why the Deep Ones departed without defeating us. We need to get back to the ship for safety. Will you be able to fly?"

"I think so, I'm tired, but I think I can make it. GAR! I need to get him and bring him back." With that, the purple haired girl raced over to the unconscious changeling. Using her energy manipulation she lifted him onto one of her black platforms and together they began flying in the direction of the abandoned T-Jet.

Starfire looked at the doorway to the tomb of Great Cthulhu. There, on his knees, staring straight ahead, was Robin. Despite the shaking of the earth, he was unmoving, simply staring, unaware of his surroundings. The warrior princess flew over to the former leader of the titans and picked him up in her arms.

He did not respond.

Letting out a deep breath, Starfire began to fly after the others, towards the safety of the T-Jet. Originally, the ship had been left on the shore. However, with the sinking of the island, the shore had moved considerably. Water was rapidly reclaiming the island and over half the island was now covered by the sea. The T-Jet was several miles away, floating abandoned on the ocean.

Landing on the hull of the ship, Raven turned towards the orange girl. "We've got to lift off immediately, if we're still here when the island sinks, we'll be caught in the undertow and dragged to the bottom. Get in now."

Starfire deposited Robin in his usual compartment without comment. He still seemed to be in a state of shock. Raven kept Beast Boy in with her. She had no intention of letting him out of her sight. "Ready for takeoff," she said.

"All systems go," responded Starfire.

"Let's get out of here." With that, the T-Jet rose from the surface of the ocean. Rising up into the air, several hundred feet above the disappearing island, Starfire and Raven watched as the necropolis that was R'yleh, containing the remains of Cthulhu once more returned to the bottom of the ocean. Sunken R'yleh was sunken once more.

"Raven, we need to go back to the tower. Robin and Beast Boy need assistance. I cannot tell what is the matter with Robin, all he does is stare ahead without moving."

"It's called catatonia, Starfire, humans on occasion get it when something happens to them that their minds cannot handle, they simply shut down."

"How do we restart it then?"

"I don't know. We'll have to have psychological specialists look at him. Perhaps they will be able to bring him out of it. Once we get back to the tower, we'll start making some calls."

"How is Beast Boy?"

There was silence from the grey girl. After a few moments, she responded. "I don't know. He seems to be all right physically. Something happened in the tomb that shocked him, similarly to what Robin is like, except that Gar's unconscious while Robin is conscious. I've been trying to see into his mind and it almost seems like it's been shut down. Can you fly us home? I want to look deeper and see if there's anything of Gar left inside." Starfire could hear the trembling in Raven's voice, as if she were holding herself together by the merest hope that there would be some way to get her lover back.

With that, Starfire turned towards the northeast and began the flight back to the tower. It was mid afternoon. Although the distance was over 5000 miles, if she used a suborbital flight plan, she believed they could be back at the tower by early evening. They couldn't even radio ahead for weather forecasts, coordinates or to make arrangements for the two boys. There had been no time to repair the antenna before they landed and began their excursion into R'yleh. She would have to trust to luck.

For once, luck was with them. By early evening, the familiar skyline of Jump City, with its glittering lights and the tower of glass and steel was in their view. While the tower was dark, the dusk of a late September evening showed the titan's home was still standing, waiting for them. Starfire landed the T-Jet on the reinforced roof, as they could not open the T-Jet's bay doors without the antenna.

"Starfire, I'm taking Beast Boy to the infirmary to see what I can do. You need to contact someone to see about Robin." With that, Raven flew off without looking back, Beast Boy floating behind her. Starfire looked at the boy wonder, still staring straight ahead, acknowledging nothing.

"_Find someone to help? How am I supposed to do that? Who could possibly help him? Think Koriand'r, who could help us. Wait…who was it he contacted at Arkham for help? Oh yes, his friend from his time with Batman."_ Starfire walked over to the main communications board and punched a seldom used button.

"Hello, hello. Is there anyone there?"

The visage of Alfred Pennyworth appeared on the screen. "Yes, Master….excuse me. Would you be Miss Starfire? I was expecting Master Richard."

"Mister Pennyworth? I'm sorry, but there is a problem with Richard." The butler's face turned stony, concerned.

"What has happened to Master Richard?"

"I'm not sure. Raven says that he has, uhhh, catatonia? He just stares straight ahead and doesn't speak."

"Is this related to the case he spoke of several weeks ago?"

"Yes, since then, many things have happened." She paused. "Our friend Victor, Cyborg is dead. Beast Boy is also seriously injured. Raven is trying to help him now."

Alfred's eyes widened at these revelations. "Let me look at our contacts in Jump City. I'm sure that there must be someone in the region who can temporarily look after Master Richard until Mr. Wayne and I can get there tomorrow." There was a pause. "Ahh, in nearby Conanicut there's a private hospital owned by Dr. Waite. We have utilized his services in the past. Currently, the establishment is run by Dr. Marinus Willett. As soon as we are finished, I will contact him. Miss Starfire, if you would please bring him there. Oh, and, I'm sorry to say, please remove his costume beforehand." The aged butler's eyes were troubled. "I realize that it may seem inconsequential in these circumstances, but we need to admit him as Richard Grayson, not as Robin."

"Very well, I will do so. You and the Batman will be there in the morning?"

"Yes Miss, Master Bruce is currently involved in rescuing a child from a kidnapping. He should be done in a few hours. We will be taking a private jet to Jump City. I expect we will be bringing Master Richard back to Gotham for, ahhh, specialized treatment."

Starfire looked troubled at the thought. "In that case, I will see you and the Batman in the morning at the hospital." With that, the princess of Tamaran broke off contact. She turned to Robin. Despite hearing the voice of one of his oldest, dearest friends, he remained staring straight ahead. Flying rapidly to his room, Starfire retrieved various casual clothes and returned to the Common Room.

Robin was still sitting where she had left him. Undressing and redressing him, she left him momentarily to return to the main communications panel to determine where Dr. Waite's private hospital was. Memorizing the directions, she picked up the boy detective and made the journey to the hospital. It took several hours to get there and back. There was no difficulty in admitting him. The cover story was that he had been kidnapped by cultists and brainwashed. During his rescue, he entered a catatonic state. In reality, this was not far off the mark and was something that could reasonably be expected to happen to a billionaire's heir.

While she had wanted to stay with Robin, Starfire realized there were still many things that needed attending to. She was at the communications board for most of the night. Finally, exhausted, she passed out in the chair in front of the board following one of her calls.

It was the next morning when, still asleep, Starfire heard a sound behind her. Waking instantly, she turned and was ready to fire a starbolt in the direction of the noise, nerves obviously hair-trigger after the events of the past several days. As it turned out, it was Raven making a cup of tea. She had not even noticed that Starfire had awoken.

The enchantress looked terrible. It was evident that she had gotten no sleep since the night before. The wounds, scratches, bruises that had been inflicted by the Deep Ones had not been attended to; they had not even been cleaned. There were deep circles under her eyes. Random items in the room were surrounded by black auras, showing that her emotional control was also slipping due to exhaustion. The fact she had not even noticed that she was almost attacked only added further to the concern Starfire had for her.

"Raven," the grey girl started at the sound. "Raven, please, why are you not resting? You need to heal."

"I just wanted a cup of tea. I can sleep later. Were you able to get Richard to the hospital?"

"Yes, Mr. Pennyworth was able to arrange everything so that I was able to have him taken in without question. He appears to be a very persuasive man." She paused. "I have been in touch with a number of people during the night. I called Dr. Phillips to inform him that Dr. Carter was deceased. He was very upset. They seem to have been good friends."

"We all seem to have lost good friends on this case." Silence fell once again on the two titans. "Did you contact Dr. Warren to let him know we have a replacement page for him?"

"Yes, even though I believe this page should be destroyed as well. Still, Robin promised him a copy. I feel honor bound to fulfill his wishes. Even if he appears unable to recognize it." The silence was even more pronounced this time as both girls seemed to want to avoid any upsetting subject. Finally, Starfire could bear it no longer. "How is Beast Boy?"

Raven sat down on the couch. She did not answer Starfire's question immediately. Then she took a deep breath. "I think I've found a way to help him. I've been trying to change him into a wolf. When the Necronomicon affected him before, he changed to a pack animal to fight the effects. It's not easy, his body doesn't seem to want to stay in wolf form. The first time I tried it, it took hours to get him to change, and he changed right back once I stopped. I've been working all night. Last time, he stayed a wolf for about ten minutes before changing back."

"Can you tell if it's helped?"

Raven closed her eyes for a moment. "I think so. The last time he switched back to human, I thought I felt a flicker of consciousness in his mind, but I'm not sure. Even if this works, it will take a considerable time before he's even partially better."

"When do you expect him to be able to rejoin the titans as an active member?"

The sorceress opened her eyes again and looked at Starfire. After a moment, she answered. "Actually, I don't believe he will ever be able to be a titan again. I think his mind has been too damaged by what he's seen. I'm just hoping to get him close to what he was before. I don't think he would be able to handle the stress of being a hero again." She leaned forward and pressed her hands against her face, slowly rubbing as much of the weariness away as she could. "Starfire, we're leaving the team."

The Tamaranean stared open mouthed at her friend. "But, where will you go?"

Again, a long pause, the weariness evident in every movement the purple-haired girl made. "I've learned a lot about Gar over the past couple of weeks. Far more than he's ever let any of us know. Did you know he spent his early life in Africa?" Starfire shook her head. "His parents were scientists there and both died in an accident when he was very young. He was adopted by a local tribe that they were friendly with. Despite the losses he's experienced, he has a great deal of love for the area and the people. I think I'm going to try to see if I can locate them. Maybe, just maybe, being back among settings that he's familiar with will help his recovery. At a minimum, just being in the wild, among the animals he loves may help."

"When will you go?"

"Not for a while, probably several weeks. I need to get him into a condition where he can travel. I'll take part of the T-Jet so we can get there more easily." She gave a rueful grin. "FIRST, though, I'm going to fix that antenna."

"So this is goodbye." Raven looked at the princess from the stars.

"What do you mean, we won't leave for a while yet."

"But I will be leaving." Raven's eyes opened wide at the statement.

"You're, you're not going home? Are you?"

The warrior maiden shook her head. "No, earth is my home now." She paused. "I have given this much thought through the night. I love you childish, foolish humans, one in particular. Someone needs to watch out for you. You are like small children playing in your nursery, afraid to open up the closet door for fear of monsters."

"You do not realize that the monsters are real, and are waiting outside your nursery. Not in the closet."

Raven considered this. Then she spoke, "Will you contact your Grand Council and evacuate the planet."

"I had originally thought to. But the events of the past several weeks have changed my mind. I do not believe humans could survive outside the earth. Both Richard and Victor, two strong willed humans fell prey to the influences that every galactic child learns to ignore. Even Beast Boy was only able to resist them because of his animal instincts. You only resisted because of your demon heritage."

"Just imagine billions of humans driven mad because of things and influences that are considered normal to the rest of the galaxy. It would be a crime to you kind, delightful, childish humans."

Raven stared at her friend. After a moment, "I can't say I'm not pleased. I would hate to have to leave earth. I had to leave Azerath, losing a second home will be difficult enough, but at least I'll have Gar with me. So, Cthulhu and R'yleh will remain hidden?"

"Oh no! I could not do that. I have oaths to keep. I have already contacted the Grand Council to explain the situation. They wanted to evacuate the planet as I originally did, but I was able to convince them not to. Actually, I had to order them not to. They are contacting many of the other races to inform them of the finding of R'yleh."

"I have also spoken with the Justice League about R'yleh and Great Cthulhu. Many of them did not know anything about it either."

"Many of them? That means some did."

"Oh yes, the Martian Manhunter turned pale when I mentioned R'yleh, as did Hawkman. Before I had even finished, the Green Lantern left to contact the Guardians and begin preparations to have permanent guards around the area where R'yleh is located."

The grey girl looked relieved. "So, we're safe, finally."

"SAFE? We are not SAFE. The Deep Ones are still there, biding their time. The Elder Things are still in the lost city. R'yleh is still there. Great Cthulhu is still dreaming in his sunken city. We have only delayed the inevitable. Somewhere, sometime, whether it be next year or a million years from now, Great Cthulhu WILL RISE. We will delay it as long as possible; as we have watched for Nyarlathotep, the Crawling Chaos, so we will watch for Great Cthulhu. Do not delude yourself, the day WILL COME when the Outer Gods are brought back."

"We can only hope that it is not in our lifetime," she looked down at her abdomen and held it, "or our children's lifetime."

The silence that fell on Starfire's last pronouncement was like the toll of a great bell, signaling the change of all that had ever been and ever would be. After a few moments, Raven spoke again.

"You said you were leaving."

"Yes, I will be accompanying the Batman and Mr. Pennyworth to Gotham. I wish to stay with Richard."

"So, this is the end of the titans."

Starfire nodded, "At least, these particular titans. Titans East is still there. I have also contacted them to let them know of our troubles. I have also informed the mayor of Jump City that we would be unable to fulfill our obligations further. Once he heard of Victor's death, as well as Robin and Beast Boy's inflictions, he understood. I believe he will be in touch with Titans East to begin the process of finding a new team to guard Jump City."

Wearily, Raven got to her feet. On her face, between the cuts and bruises, her countenance was sad. "Never tell anyone this, but I'm going to miss you."

Starfire gave a small smile. The reappearance of the old, cantankerous Raven was welcome. "And I will miss you, my sister." At that Raven's eyes opened wide in surprise. "Yes, you have been far closer to me than a sister, this is the best I can do." Starfire moved over to the Azerathean and gave her a deep hug. Not a hard one, as she was still injured and delicate, but one that showed all of the love and affection she felt for her friend who was closer to her than a sister.

Voice thick with suppressed emotion, Raven said, "You better tell me when little Victor arrives, otherwise, I will NOT be happy. And you don't want me to be unhappy."

The orange girl gave a chuckle. "Never fear, I expect both of you at the birth. It will be, let's see, converting to your calendar," she stopped and closed her eyes. "April 5th, sometime between three and four in the afternoon."

Raven's eyes opened wide in shock this time. "Tamaraneans are THAT precise?" At that Starfire let out a peel of laughter, the first that had been heard from any of them in weeks.

"Take care my friend. I will miss you."

"I'll miss you too Starfire." And Raven turned away to return to the infirmary.

Starfire left Titans Tower for the last time. It was several miles to the north of Jump City to reach the small seaside town of Conanicut and it took the warrior princess roughly an hour to get there. By daylight, the region looked like a resort. Situated on an inlet was the private hospital owned by Dr. Waite. It looked like an old fashioned New England resort. Beautiful lush lawns, a large expansive porch and a number of buildings that resembled homes as opposed to institutions. The lawns led down to the sea, where the gently rolling waves sunk into the white sand.

Landing in front of the main building, Starfire walked up the steps and into the entrance. Recognizing her, the receptionist was extremely cordial. Once the princess asked if Mr. Pennyworth had arrived, the receptionist was most talkative.

"Oh yes, and Mr. Wayne too. It was extremely lucky for us he was here. I don't know what might have happened without him."

Puzzled, Starfire asked, "What do you mean?"

"Oh, well, Mr. Grayson came out of his catatonia this morning when the sun rose. How he got out of that straightjacket I'll never know, but he was racing along the lawn towards the beach as soon as he got out. Why, we had six of our attendants, good sized all of them, trying to subdue him. That young man was able to escape all of them, no matter what. Broke the nose of one, two others are unconscious. Then Mr. Wayne arrived. I've NEVER seen anyone run that fast before. He was over by Mr. Grayson in two seconds and was able to hold onto him long enough for the medics to give him a sedative. Mr. Grayson, you understand, not Mr. Wayne. We've got Mr. Grayson back in the straightjacket, don't know how a young man like him was able to get out of it in the first place, and he's now over in the Ward Cabin. Mr. Pennyworth is there now. Mr. Wayne is with the director, Mr. Willett, signing the transfer papers. I'm sure none of them would mind if you went to see the boy."

In a state of shock, Starfire thanked the receptionist and made her way to the designated cabin. Reaching it, she came upon an old man sitting on the porch outside the cabin. He was thin, balding, with a pencil thin mustache and a dignified air about him. The princess recognized him at once.

"Mr. Pennyworth? How is Richard?"

Rising to his feet with a dexterity that belied his apparent age, Alfred gave a courtly bow to the warrior princess. "Miss Starfire, what a pleasure to finally meet you in person. You are everything Master Richard ever said you were." His face then took on a somber tone. "I'm afraid Master Richard is not well at all. Are you aware of the events of this morning?" She nodded. "While the sedative has apparently prevented him from escaping his bonds, he has been raving, repeating gibberish since being placed in the cabin. I am here just in case something happens. If necessary I will call Master Bruce. I assume you are here to say goodbye?"

Shaking her head, Starfire replied, "No, at the moment I want to see him. I will be accompanying you to Gotham to be with Richard." At that, Alfred's eyebrows rose.

"Are you certain? What about your duties here?"

"I have certain duties to the father of my child, and Richard's heir."

A momentary shock appeared on the face of the aged butler. It was quickly masked. "Ah, I see. Well, that makes a bit of a difference. Of course, I would expect you to come with us. You will, of course, be staying with us as long as you wish."

"Mr. Wayne will not mind."

"Mr. Wayne will not mind." This was said with a hint of steel, signifying that Mr. Wayne would not object if he knew what was good for him.

"In that case, may I see Richard?" With that, Alfred saw Starfire to the door and she entered the cabin.

The cabin consisted of two rooms and a small bathroom. In the outer room, an attendant was standing next to an obviously locked door. Starfire went over to him and requested entrance to the remaining room. Seeing who it was, the attendant did not object or even speak, but opened the door.

Inside, the room was bare of objects. Everywhere there was padding to keep the occupant from injuring himself. The occupant, a young man of sixteen or so, with bright blue eyes and black spiked hair, was laying on the floor in a straightjacket, muttering to himself. Starfire was unable to hear what he was saying.

Moving over to his side, she said "Richard, Richard, can you hear me? Do you know who I am?"

The boy continued to stare ahead, muttering, this time Starfire could make out what he was saying. Then, because even the mightiest of warriors can reach a breaking point, Starfire sat down next to the young man she loved and began to weep silently, tears falling onto the straightjacket.

The young man continued to lay on the floor, bright blue eyes staring off unseeing or, perhaps, seeing something that only he could see, a rotting necropolis sitting on the ocean floor. All the while, muttering the same two words, the only words he had said since leaving that accursed island of R'yleh.

Cthulhu fhtagn

Cthulhu waits.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

And so at last, we come to the end. Unsatisfying? I hope not. In the world of Lovecraft, evil is never defeated, simply delayed. Madness and death are the norms for his works. I hope that I've entertained you and, perhaps, sent a small chill down your spine periodically. At a minimum, I hope my poor tribute to the master himself has encouraged you to seek out his actual works and explore one of the giants of horror (and American) literature. One final mention. Waite's private hospital, Dr. Marinus Willett and Conanicut are all from his novella 'The Case of Charles Dexter Ward', hence, Ward Cabin is where poor Richard is temporarily resident.

My apologies for the unseemly delay in getting this final chapter out. I had a serious family crisis that took up much if not all of my time. I even had to skip my turn at Ganguro. Therefore, publicly, I would like to apologize to my coauthors, ForceIsStrongWithThisOne, Novus Ordo Seclorum, Sir Alwick and TitanFan45, for their patience and understanding during this time. And I would also like to publicly state, I'm not done with Ganguro, I'll be resuming my partnership now that both my crisis and this story are done.

Wow, five months of writing, over 105,000 words. That's 5,570 hits, including an incredible 148 hits for the penultimate chapter. I am grateful to everyone who has been accompanying me on the extremely long journey.

I am most especially grateful for those generous individuals who have taken the time to review my not so little tale.

ForceIsStrongWithThisOne – As you can see, this was NOT a short chapter. And Starfire did make the correct choice. You have stuck with me throughout and I'm extremely grateful my friend. My thanks.

Ijpowers93 – Yes, even dead, Cthulhu is mighty. Poor Beast Boy was insignificant in comparison.

Soos the Moos – Welcome, better late than never as far as reviewing. I am glad you've enjoyed the story. As for moving beyond the Titans, I've considered it. However, some of the characters that would interest me are what I would consider inappropriate. How So? Let's take Harry Potter. I COULD write a story about him, but where would it fit in continuity? The 7 books are tightly plotted with resolutions all tied up at the end. The benefit of working with comics is that each story is standalone and nothing happens then that affects now (or now the future) and there is no neatly tied up ending. Hence, I'll stick to the titans for the moment.

Malconvoker – Yes, Starfire made the correct choice, but as you can see, it was a near thing. Is love enough in Lovecraft? Actually, Lovecraft almost NEVER mentions love (or women for that matter). He was married once, in what appears to be a relatively loveless marriage that ended in divorce. I would say his worldview did not include love much. Mine does.

SoulSeekerthe13th – I've always believed that even magic should obey as many physical laws as possible. Or at least act logically. If you accept that magic is simply the manipulation of the physical world using currently unknown forces (or geometry), then it hangs together. Who knows, I may change my mind later for a different story. That's the fun of fiction.

Anon- Glad you enjoy the story. Here's the ending.

Novus Ordo Seclorum – For want of the nail the shoe was lost. I fundamentally believe that small things matter and lead to larger consequences. I tried to leave a bit of hope left regarding Beast Boy's recovery. As you say, if anyone can do it, Raven can.

Shadowreploid – Welcome to the finale, glad you could make it. Sorry to keep you waiting.

Mors101 – Incapacitating Beast Boy early? If anything, I left it almost for the end. If you notice, everyone who is largely human suffered. Only Raven, because of her demonic heritage remained unaffected. And Starfire, of course.

The Dread One – Then I've done my job. Thank you.

With that, I bring this story to its conclusion. I will be taking a sabbatical for a while, probably for at least a month (excluding my Ganguro participation, of course). This took a lot out of me. My next story will definitely NOT be so long, probably only 12-15 chapters. I'm already scoping it out. The title is "Road to Nairobi". It will be an action/friendship tale starring Beast Boy (of course) and Robin (I've maligned the poor boy so much, I need to make it up to him). It will take a bit of time to plot out and, as I've said, I'm exhausted.

So until next time my dear friends, sleep well.

Cthulhu waits.


End file.
